Make Skin Health a Priority in 2016
The Skin Cancer Foundation Recommends Sun Safety as a Healthy New Year's Resolution
New York, NY (December 29, 2015) ---- The beginning of a new year means starting fresh, particularly when it comes to health habits. In 2016, The Skin Cancer Foundation urges everyone to make skin health a top priority. Here are four healthy skin guidelines to follow in the new year:
1. Don't Skimp on Sun Protection
Proper sun protection is essential year-round since the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays are present every day. Skin cancer is mainly a behavioral disease and it is strongly linked to sun exposure ---- about 90 percent of nonmelanoma skin cancers and 86 percent of melanomas are caused by the sun's UV rays. For that reason, it's critical to follow a complete sun protection regimen to help prevent skin cancer. The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends incorporating the following sun protection tips into your daily routine:
2. Visit the Dermatologist Annually for a Professional Skin Exam
While skin cancer is the most common cancer in the world, it's also one of the most treatable cancers when detected early. A yearly full-body skin exam performed by a dermatologist is critical, and can be lifesaving. In fact, the five-year survival rate for patients whose melanomas are detected early is 98 percent, and this survival rate falls to 16 percent once the disease spreads to distant organs.
3. Perform Routine Self-Exams
In addition to having a professional skin check annually, it's important to examine your skin on a monthly basis to monitor for any new, changing or suspicious lesions. If you notice something new or changing, see a physician immediately. Performed regularly, self-exams should take no more than 10 to 15 minutes. Afraid you'll forget? Make self-exams a habit by scheduling a recurring reminder in your cell phone.
4. Ditch Tanning
There is no such thing as a safe or healthy tan. Whether obtained on the beach, in a tanning bed, or through incidental sun exposure, a tan represents skin damage. Tans are the skin's attempt to repair itself from UV damage from the sun or tanning lamps, and if you have a tan, you have sustained skin cell damage. These imperfect repairs cause gene defects that can lead to skin cancer as well as skin aging, including wrinkles, leathery skin and age spots.
Those tempted to use a tanning bed this winter should think twice ---- people who first use a tanning bed before age 35 increase their risk for melanoma by an alarming 75 percent. Just one visit is all it takes to increase your skin cancer risk ---- a single session increases the risk for the two most common forms of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, by 29 percent and 67 percent, respectively.
For more information, visit the Foundation's website, SkinCancer.org, which features more than 600 pages of medically-reviewed content on skin cancer prevention, early detection and treatment.
