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Who doesn’t love asun-kissed glow?
So what’s going on?
And how can you keep yourself safe?
More than two million people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
Between 1970 and 2009, melanoma increasedeightfoldamong young women and fourfold among young men ages 18 to 39.
Dermatology and Spatique Medical Spa in Smithtown, N.Y., tells HealthySELF.
But what’s behind this epidemic?
Doesn’t everyone know to wear sunscreen?
Ah, yes – tanning beds.
Dr. Peredo herself likens them to smoking and having unprotected sex in terms of deadly heath risks.
“They’re bad.
Really bad,” she says.
“If melanoma is not caught very early, it’s deadly,” she says.
So with all this in mind (yikes!)
– how can you protect yourself?
Stay away from them.
Use sunscreen daily and in the proper amounts.
Dr. Peredo recommends using SPF 30 or above, every day.
“If you’re in the sun for a couple of hours, you should reapply every 30 minutes.
Don’t think you’re free to’t get burned on a cloudy day.
Don’t think you could’t get ultraviolet radiation through a window on a sunny day.
Do regular skin checks on yourself.
What are the signs to look out for?
B for Border:The borders of the mole can be scalloped, jagged, uneven or poorly defined.
D for Diameter:Melanomas usually are greater than 6mm.
Also – keep in mind that skin cancer cells aren’t always raised.
“Melanoma can be flat or raised.”
“With melanoma, the difference between life and death is early detection,” she says.
“A lot of people think, ‘Maybe if I ignore it, it will go away.'”
“If something looks unusual or different – get it checked.
A lot of the time it’s nothing, but that’s OK!
Don’t be scared of the unknown,” says Dr. Peredo.
“But if you do find that something is wrong, get it off your body.”
For more about Dr. Peredo, visitSpatiquemedicalspa.com.
6 Easy Ways to Lower Your Cancer Risk
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