Dear 16-year-old Me…Skin Cancer Awareness

Sun burns…

Tanning…

Freckling & Moles…

Second-degree burns and blistering…

Skin cancer…

Melanoma

The sun is both friend and foe.  The sun warms us, gives us natural light, helps crops and plants to grow, and gives us Vitamin D.  It helps to boost mood and is often suggested to people with depression to get outside more.  People who live in places that have shorter days or frequent overcast often have mood disorders as the result of little to no sunshine.

While I don’t believe you need to wear sunscreen every single time you go outside, prolonged exposure to direct sunlight is obviously damaging to the skin in various ways causing questionable moles that can turn out to be cancerous.

Be safe this summer and wear sunscreen if you plan on being outside for a long period of time, and don’t forget to re-apply frequently (especially if water play is involved) and wear a hat if you like as well to help prevent burns.

Also, it is important to get any questionable moles looked at by a doctor and get your skin checked by your family doctor or dermatologist in order to locate any possible cancerous cells in the skin.  Early detection is crucial.

Of course, I need to take my own advice.  I have had several bad burns, one of which was second degree on my shoulders as a child which included severe blistering.  I have a mole on my arm that looks “odd”, but has never grown or changed in the last 15 years.  My mother had a cancerous mole removed from her face when she was about my age.  It’s time to go get looked at.

For more information, visit:  http://dcmf.ca/tools

Related articles

• Glenn D. Braunstein, M.D.: The ABCDEs of Melanoma: Don’t Let Sun Worship Turn Fatal (huffingtonpost.com)
• How can one tell is a mole is cancerous? (zocdoc.com)
• Tanning beds stoking skin cancer rise: St. John’s MD (cbc.ca)