If you’re like most people, you probably spend much of your summer season in places near the beach. We all like a mild climate and we enjoy athletic activities in these places. Some of these activities include swimming, biking and playing some outdoor games. There are many instances during a normal day that we are exposed to direct sunlight and its dangers. That’s why we always need to apply sunscreen.

Living in a cooler, northern climate doesn’t keep us safe from skin cancer. The summers can be humid, and even when the sun is not always visible during winter season, the UV rays are constantly around us so we have to use sunscreen.

You may not think skin cancer is such a big deal but the truth is, as long as you are living in a world that has thinning protection against the sun’s harmful rays, you are at risk of developing skin cancer.

There are also myths associated with skin cancer that makes us complacent. Here they are.

Myth: Tanning Beds are Safe

People who use tanning beds instead of direct sun exposure to get that golden glow they want are still exposed to UV rays. Tanning beds use UVA rays rather than UVB rays, but 20 minutes of exposure in a tanning bed is roughly equivalent to four hours in the sun. This is because UVA gets inside the skin cells more deeply than UVB. The more tan you get, the more deeply the UVA rays have penetrated your skin. You’re in danger of getting immune-compromised if you keep this up, but that’s the least of your worries. What really need to worry about is getting skin cancer.

Myth: Not Going to the Beach Means You’re Less Exposed

Even on cloudy days, you are exposed to the sun. The beach, although the haven for sun worshippers and beach-ready bodies, is not the only place to get exposed to the sun. You get exposed to the same amount of UV rays that beach goers get just by doing menial chores without sufficient sun protection. You’re at risk of getting skin cancer even if you just leave the home to go to your car, walk the dog or let your children out to play at any time of year.

This is the reason why most people use lightweight clothing that covers their arms even when they’re not at the beach. Sunscreen must be applied every two hours or after getting soaked in water.

Myth: Being Darker Means You’re less Likely to Develop Skin cancer

This is a common myth. It seems that dark skinned individuals think they are less likely to develop cancer, but the risk is the same. If you’re artificially dark, or you have been tanning for a long time, the risk is double. Tanned skin is really skin that has been damaged. Repeated tanning means more skin injures, and this leads to greater risk.

So how do you protect yourself and your family from cancer? Limit sun exposure, especially for babies. Regularly examine your skin for early signs of damage. And most of all, use a sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher and apply it at least 30 minutes before exposure, and every two hours after initial application.

A woman values her skin and caring for it will always be a part of her vanity ritual. You might have tried looking for plain soap inside a woman’s toiletries basket and found every imaginable soap or lotion ever invented instead. It’s really not easy to pamper and keep the skin silky smooth, especially now that all the damage to the earth has made it almost impossible to keep the UV rays of the sun from reaching our skin. While all the lavish care and attention on your precious skin will do you good. There’s always the danger of developing bad skin cells that might lead to skin cancer.

The type of cancer that infects the skin is called skin cancer. Detection of this cancer is usually done by looking for melanoma, a pigment that develops in skin. Signs of skin cancer also include a sudden variation in the texture, the sudden presence of wounds and sores that take too long to heal. These signs indicate that the skin’s normal processes are going awry and that there is something wrong.
In fact, even without the presence of melanoma, you may develop skin cancer if you have asquamous cells and carcinoma. These two are also called non-melanoma skin cancer. There is an estimated 1,000,000 new cases of non-melanoma cancer in the USA during this year alone.

UV Light (Ultra Violet) from the sun damages the skin’s DNA. DNA is the genetic core of any cell in the body. Any cell with altered DNA becomes mutated. The mutated version of these skin cells are aggressive, could grow in number and could turn into cancers.

Some of the main causes of skin cancer are extreme exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun and air pollution. Although sunlight is extremely vital to daily life because it keeps us warm and allows the production of vitamin D, extreme denudation of the environment has eroded the protective layer in the atmosphere that keeps harmful UV rays out. Now, the UV light that reaches the earth through sunlight damages the DNA in skin, causing the mutation of skin cells. Melanoma is a common skin cancer type in men and women between the ages of 15 to 44 years old. Melanoma the cancer of melanocytes. These skin pigments are telltale signs of cancer. These are usually dark brown, black or blue-black.

If you spend a lot of time outdoors, and even if you simply walk across the parking lot to your office building, you are at risk of UV exposure. Not all skin types can tolerate this level of exposure for long. The risk is double for people who engage in activities such as mountaineering, rock climbing, hiking, working in the farm, or fishing. You are also predisposed to skin cancer if you have never tried or done anything to protect yourself from the sun.

Even those who are fond of sunbathing may inevitably develop skin cancer if no means of protection is used. Generally skin cancer can be stalled by surgery. Surgery is applicable for those whose skin cancer has not reached terminal status. Advanced cases are usually treated using chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.