Skin cancer should alarm you
May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Are you aware? I am, as I look at my husband's left hand, fresh out of surgery to remove a squamous cell cancer, in all of its stitched and bandaged glory. I am aware when I look at my pale, pale skin and attempt to cover up as much as possible before heading out into the blazing Florida sun. I am aware when I lather my blond-headed little boys with sunscreen, hide in the shade at my neighborhood pool, and think back to all the skin cancer-y spots my grandma was forever having frozen off her her aging body. I've had a few frozen myself. And my sister just last year had two basal cell cancers carved right out of her chest. Her scars are constant reminders of summers spent basking on the beach.Skin cancer should not be taken lightly, no matter how strongly you believe the disease won't happen to you. Of all the cancers out there, you might think this one is no big deal. You'd be wrong. Just ask Miss Melanoma who lost a toe because a mole on her foot turned up as melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Ask anyone battling the disease and fighting off death. There were an estimated 59,940 new melanoma cases in the U.S. in 2007 and 250,000 cases of squamous cells carcinomas, the second most common type of skin cancer. Basal cell cancer, the most common form, strikes one million people each year.
Skin cancer should alarm you. Because if left undetected, it can kill you. Awareness is key. So do you part this month. And every month. Inform yourself. Your family. Your friends. All the information you need -- how to prevent it, how to detect it, how to treat it -- can be found right here at The Skin Cancer Foundation.
If you've got a little cush in your tush and are thinking about dropping a few pounds, you might not want to go too lean, because U.S. researchers announced yesterday that a type of fat that accumulates around the hips and bottom may offer some protection against diabetes.
If you've read some of my other posts, you know I'm a fan of gardening and the resulting goodness: flowers, food, herbs, etc. I'm also a big fan of house plants, which, I believe, are supposed to evoke a sense of bringing the outside in and, thus, a sense of calmness and freshness. An aura that's anything but stressful.
In most cases, staying healthy requires that you do something. Work out, watch what you eat, etc. All said, it's clear that it's much easier to be unhealthy than it is to be healthy. But one of the few cases when not doing something is actually better for you is smoking cigarettes.
Thinking of ways you'll save your skin this summer when the sun's rays come beating down upon you? Don't forget the standards: Avoid the sun between 10 am and 4 pm, use sunscreen with a sun protective factor (SPF) of 15 or higher, steer clear of artificial sources of ultraviolet light, and wear sun-protective clothing when exposed to sunlight.
If you've got a skin lesion larger than six millimeters in diameter, it could be melanoma, says a new study finding that supports the widespread use of diameter guidelines to screen for this deadly cancer.
Scottish actor Ewan McGregor, 37, was recently diagnosed with skin cancer. He is fine, he reports, and is thankful his suspicious-looking mole, which turned up as cancer, has been removed from below his right eye.
I have been both shivering with disgust and giggling my head off all day today. I grabbed the March 31st issue of OK! magazine off the rack at my gym this morning to keep me company as I ran on the treadmill, and I nearly fell off from laughing. Ugly Betty star, Vanessa Williams, admits to having almost smeared urine all over her face in an effort to get rid of acne.
In most parts of the U.S., the sun is starting to shine a little more brightly, encouraging us to come out and play. Not only does the warm weather get us all frisky and ready to tackle all kinds of fun outdoor activities -- a change of season is also a reminder to take a look at our current skincare routine to make sure we're still meeting our skin's needs.
When it comes to cancer, the general rule is this: If you're under 40, you're risk of developing it is minimal. But there's a certain type of cancer that you're more likely to develop if you're under 35--Malignant melanoma. Yep, skin cancer.
Want healthy skin? Then you need to be proactive, say the
Whether it's on your face or your legs (or elsewhere...), razor burn is downright unpleasant. Interested in finding out how you can stop razor burn in its tracks? I recently came across
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