Skin Cancer Awareness Month
May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Learn its history and how you can participate in creating awareness and reducing risks through this guide.
About 1 in 5 Americans will get skin cancer at some point in their lifetime.
Some of these cases will be because no precautions were taken, while in others it happens to even with precautions. However, there's always a way to be more aware of cancer prevention.
Since May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, it makes learning about skin cancer, how it happens, and what you can do about it more prevalent. Read on to learn more about what you can do for your skin protection and skin health!
What Is Skin Cancer?
Skin cancer is one of the most prominent forms of cancer; with hundreds of thousands of people getting the worst form, melanoma, each year, and millions of people getting other forms of skin cancer each year.
The rates of skin cancer have been rising in the past year even as awareness of the cancer is also rising. That's why it is important to continue to raise awareness about this deadly cancer.
The majority of cases occur because of exposure to UV rays from the sun.
Getting an early diagnosis of skin cancer can help prevent more complications as well as letting the skin cancer become more fatal. This is why it is important to have an annual skin check.
How to Raise Awareness
Even if you are not part of the American Cancer Society, a doctor, or an organization that helps raise awareness, you can still take steps to raise awareness about skin cancer.
Here are a few ways to help.
Post on Social Media
Whether you post on social media with your own story or simply share infographics and other accounts' information about skin cancer, you are helping to spread the word and make more people aware of how dangerous this cancer can be.
There is no such thing as sharing too much - so repost on your stories, in your feed, and across all different platforms!
Join the #SkinCheckChallenge
You can also join the trend of the #SkinCheckChallenge! You should go through your body from head to toe looking for any changes that seem unusual. You can then share a photo or video of your skin check on social media. Maybe throw up a thumbs up or get even more creative for the challenge!
It spreads awareness no matter how you do it!
Create a Fundraiser
Even if you don't have firsthand experience or even know anyone who has had skin cancer, it may be something you find yourself passionate about. You could create a fundraiser to raise awareness and money to help cure and prevent skin cancer!
Cancer Prevention
Now that you know how to raise awareness, you probably also want to know how to prevent skin cancer in the first place. Not only do you want to know that to spread awareness, but it is also good to know for yourself as well.
So what can you do? Let's dive in.
Skin Cancer Risks
The biggest risk of skin cancer is the sun's UV rays from constant exposure or too strong of exposure over the years. It becomes cumulative.
Spending a lot of time in the sun as a child and into your older years can increase your risk of developing skin cancer. Even if you know you spent a lot of time in the sun as a child, you can start to limit your exposure starting today! Every little bit counts.
While sun exposure is a huge risk, there are more specific risks depending on who you are. If you have fair skin, light hair, and light eyes, you will be more at risk for melanoma because of your genes.
It is also best to avoid self-tanning salons as they use UV rays that are bad for your skin as well. These can cause skin cancer after too much exposure just like the sun can do.
Know the Signs and Symptoms of Skin Cancer
The good thing about skin cancer is that there are some obvious signs that you can find yourself.
It goes by ABCDE, so it is hard to forget.
- A - asymmetry
- B - irregular borders
- C - color variation
- D - larger diameter
- E - evolution and change of the mole
When you keep an eye on these things and take a look at your body every few weeks or every month, you will notice any types of signs that seem out of the norm. At that point, it is best to go see a doctor.
Take Preventative Measures
The good news is that there are actionable things we can do every single day for skin protection to help our bodies.
Here are just a few things you can start to implement into your everyday routine:
- Put on sunscreen every morning before you get dressed
- Wear a hat and sunglasses when you spend time in the sun
- Choose the shaded seated areas over sun
- Reapply sunscreen during prolonged exposure to the sun
What You Can Do for Skin Cancer Awareness Month
With May as Skin Cancer Awareness Month, it's a great time to get involved in raising awareness, taking preventative action, and learning more about what you can do to prevent skin cancer.
As you begin to take more preventative action to prevent cancer, you should check out our shop at BloqUV to take steps in the right direction to take care of your skin health!
We believe you don't have to sacrifice a cute look to prevent skin cancer! You can have the best of both worlds!