Trust Me On This

Marianne @ Their Words. My Musings. 50 Comments

 

As a skin cancer patient, I would be remiss if I did not use today’s daily prompt of Summer to remind all you lovely folks to wear sunscreen.  And yes, it actually should be used year-round for any significant time outside, but is especially important now with the longer sun hours, warmer weather, and less clothing on.  Or no clothing on if you fancy going to nudist camps that is.  I dunno.

Wearing sunscreen is generally accepted to be one of the most important factors in preventing skin cancer.  It should be a broad spectrum (UVA / UVB) lotion with an SPF of 15 or higher.  I actually wear one that is broad spectrum, AND water-resistant, AND is 100 SPF.  It costs me a little more than the generic brand basic level sunscreen, but hey, this is my life I’m talking about here.  It’s worth it.  And it’s worth it for you too, so go ahead and splurge on yourself why dontcha?

For more skin cancer prevention tips, please visit this page on the Skin Cancer Foundation’s website.

 

Even Pulitzer Prize winner Mary Schmich, columnist for the Chicago Tribune knows you should wear sunscreen.  And she wrote about it in good humour with her June 1, 1997 article as a pseudo commencement speech to the young people of the world.  While you may not have known it was a newspaper column once upon a time, I’m guessing you may have heard the song based on it by Baz Luhrmann a couple of years later.  If not, or if you just need a good guilty pleasure song trip down memory lane right now, here it is …

 

 

So please add getting sunscreen on your shopping or ‘to do’ lists for this week folks.  Trust me on this.

And one more thing … since you’ll be buying some for yourself, why not buy a bottle for someone else too?  Maybe a family you know with young children.  Perhaps the elderly lady or gent next door.  Or some homeless people in your community.  If you can’t think of anyone to buy some for, then just grab a second bottle and give it to whomever else is in line with you or near you at the store.  I do this about once a month.  It’s one of my favourite Random Acts of Kindness.

Oh yeah, sorry just one more thing …

Wear a hat.  It could save your life.

 

Featured image:   Alex Liivet user on flickr.com, CC2.0 Generic

Listen to music.  It could save your soul.  Be kind.  It could save someone’s world.  Wear a hat.  It could save your life.

 

50 thoughts on “Trust Me On This”

  5. Sending a copy of a article that I had on my computer….that sun exposure is not the reason……found in on dr. Mercola site….
    ore Likely Culprit?

    Despite all the bad press linking sun exposure to skin cancer, there’s almost no evidence at all to support it. There is, however, plenty of evidence to the contrary. Over the years, several studies have confirmed that appropriate sun exposure actually helps prevent skin cancer. In fact, melanoma occurrence has been found to decrease with greater sun exposure, and can be increased by sunscreens.

    One of the most important facts you should know is that an epidemic of the disease has in fact broken out among indoor workers. These workers get three to nine times LESS solar UV exposure than outdoor workers get, yet only indoor workers have increasing rates of melanoma — and the rates have been increasing since before 1940.

    There are two major factors that help explain this, and the first has to do with the type of UV exposure.

    There are two primary types of UV rays from sunlight, the vitamin-D-producing UVB rays and the skin-damaging UVA light. Both UVA and UVB can cause tanning and burning, although UVB does so far more rapidly. UVA, however, penetrates your skin more deeply than UVB, and may be a much more important factor in photoaging, wrinkles and skin cancers.

    A study in Medical Hypotheses suggested that indoor workers may have increased rates of melanoma because they’re exposed to sunlight through windows, and only UVA light, unlike UVB, can pass through window glass. At the same time, these indoor workers are missing out on exposure to the beneficial UVB rays, and have lower levels of vitamin D.

    Researchers wrote:

    “We hypothesize that one factor involves indoor exposures to UVA (321–400nm) passing through windows, which can cause mutations and can break down vitamin D3 formed after outdoor UVB (290–320nm) exposure, and the other factor involves low levels of cutaneous vitamin D3.

    After vitamin D3 forms, melanoma cells can convert it to the hormone, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, or calcitriol, which causes growth inhibition and apoptotic cell death in vitro and in vivo.

    … We agree that intense, intermittent outdoor UV overexposures and sunburns initiate CMM [cutaneous malignant melanoma]; we now propose that increased UVA exposures and inadequately maintained cutaneous levels of vitamin D3 promotes CMM.”

    To put it simply, UVB appears to be protective against melanoma — or rather, the vitamin D your body produces in response to UVB radiation is protective.

    As written in The Lancet:

    “Paradoxically, outdoor workers have a decreased risk of melanoma compared with indoor workers, suggesting that chronic sunlight exposure can have a protective effect.”

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  8. Thanks for this Marianne. You’re absolutely right on how important sun block is! And my family and I wish you full convalescence!

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  9. Intrigued- a former sun worshipper myself I have been trying to be good the last few years about the sun. I miss my nice tan but I know my life is won more than my shallowness for bronzed skin. Why do you say wearing a hat can save your life?

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    • Sorry for the delay in replying, comment went in to spam for some odd reason …
      My hat thing is because of me having skin cancer, with one of the worst places of it being a tumour in my head over my ear. When it was first diagnosed last year, my doc wagged his long pointy finger in my face and told me I HAD to start wearing hats! So for me, yes it can save my life and I suspect others out there too. 🙂 Plus it can help with other ailments too like sunstroke and migraines if outside on a really hot and sunny day.
      Marianne

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  11. My father used to image skin cancer for a living and seems to spend most of the summer as covered up as possible. I think he would agree with you!

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  12. Oh, I would giggle big time if I was in the line receiving one of your favorite Random acts of kindness in the form of a sunscreen bottle! Additionally the water-resistant, sweat-resistant, super high SPF version is amazing. Just like you. 😉

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  13. After my aunt had skin cancer removed from her scalp I’ve been a hat fan myself. I figure my thin hair is from her side of the family so might as well accept it 😉 Enjoyed dropping by!

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  15. Dear Marianne, now i am feeling a bit concerned since i don’t wear sunscreen lotions or anything such when i go in the sun. Ummh, your ‘wear a hat’ idea makes me feel more comfy! How about i wear a hat or some head covering and wear sunglasses and drink plenty of water and fresh fruits/juices?

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    • Not all folks are proponents of sunscreen Journey of Roo. That includes the guy behind the blog I okayed the link posting of in the comments above – see the ones from docstormy. I still believe in it, when it’s the ‘right’ kind.
      It’s kinda like the coffee debates – lots of studies to show it’s bad for you, lots saying it’s good for you. And lots of folks like me stuck in the middle!
      Do what YOU feel is best to take care of YOU and YOUR body. That’s really the bottom line here, regardless of your thoughts on sunscreen. 🙂
      As for hats, well I believe they help too and they can also prevent or minimize other things like sunstroke or headaches. So maybe do get yourself a hat. Make a new fashion statement for YOUR life! 🙂
      Hope you’re having a kindness-filled kinda day … Marianne

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  16. My mother is a skin cancer survivor as well, I have grown up being what I refer to as “pale, pasty, vampire white” all my life. This was a great post and I love that song you referenced. Reminds me of high school and college graduation.

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    • I am happy to know of your mom’s win in her battle with this nasty disease!
      One of my coworkers just yesterday commented on my ‘sexy’ legs – and they weren’t referring to sex appeal at all. They were pointing out my paleness too haha!
      Thanks for the visit and the note shellanc. Here’s to more survivor-ship in both of our families. Wishing you a kindness-filled kinda day … Marianne

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