That's Fit

Still using last year's sunscreen? Maybe you shouldn't bother -- sunscreen expires, and once that date has passed, it's no longer effective.

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.

According to this article from the Daily Mail, people under 35 who use tanning beds are 75% more likely to develop skin cancer than everyone else. 75%! Those are some frightening odds. Don't get me wrong -- tanning any time in life is dangerous, but it appears that young skin is more vulnerable to the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays. And you know what else? Tanning kills. So if you're still heading to the tanning salon, I just have one question for you: Are you nuts?

FitSpirit explores the mind-body connection and the intangible benefits we gain from our efforts to stay physically fit.

There's something about taking action that feeds the soul. Maybe your action is delivering a meal to a friend with a new baby. Maybe it's cleaning up the shores at the beach one weekend, pitching in and helping a neighbor move into a new house, or driving a special someone to an important medical appointment. Reaching out makes a difference -- it's often all our spirits need in the lift department.

I've got an spirit-lifting assignment for you today, one that might just save a few lives.

This task comes from a spunky cancer survivor who calls herself Miss Melanoma. Her goal -- which she hopes becomes your goal -- is to get a surgeon general's warning in every window at tanning bed salons. Here's all you need to do: Visit Miss Melanoma's website at MissMelanoma.com, click on Sign our Petition, and read all about the importance of skin cancer awareness -- did you know melanoma is an epidemic and the rate of occurrence is rising faster than any other cancer? Once you've absorbed the humbling facts that surround melanoma, kindly move on and sign your name. It's that simple, yet so critical.

Once you're done making your difference for the day, I recommend you take a spin through Miss Melanoma's website, which includes an inspirational blog, artwork, articles, and a shop too. You're sure to be amazed by the grace, determination, and humor of this young woman who lost her little toe to cancer and finds herself wondering: Am I entitled to a 10 percent discount on pedicures?

Although regular sun exposure is actually very good for the human body, extreme exposure and overextended tanning is not a good thing. When you hear of 'skin cancer' in the media, most likely it's due to overexposure to the sun.

In general, 15 minutes of sun exposure per day gives the body the tools it needs to make vitamin D naturally, and that's a good thing. Tanning days on end for hours on end, however, quickly turns negative. That is, unless your body loves ultraviolet radiation in large amounts.

This isn't just happening in the U.S. -- Asian sun worshippers are still sitting on beaches this second catching all the rays possible before colder weather arrives. Result: more cases of skin cancer are being seen in that region of the world.

Ok women, 'fess up. Often when we're at the doctors, we don't bring up certain things that we wanted to, either because we're embarrassed, we don't want to waste the doctor's time or ... we're scared. But our doctors are there to help and it's important that we bring up what's bugging us before it's too late.

Shape Magazine has put together this list of the top things that you should tell your MD:

• What herbal remedies or vitamins you're taking: So-called 'natural' remedies may seem harmless but they might not mix with other medications you're taking
  
• That you're planning to get pregnant: Your doctor can help make sure you're physically ready for pregnancy and can make suggestions
• That you're a social smoker: You doctor needs to know this to be able to properly screen and treat you
• If sex is painful: It shouldn't be ... try to be specific about the pain so your doctor can get to the bottom of it
• Whether or not you use tanning beds: Your doctor will be able to better screen you for skin cancer
• That your knees are stiff when you get out of bed: It could indicate something more than just an intense workout or old age

Are there things you're afraid to tell your doctor?

Maybe it's vain (alright it is vain) but the thought of getting super wrinkly as I age scares me. A lot. While I can't always afford to buy really expensive department store make-up and skin creams (there's nothing wrong with the cheaper varieties found at a drug store, right?) my one extravagance is luxurious (and pricey) eye cream. I know I'm probably falling for an elaborate marketing scheme, but I don't care -- my eye creams make me believe that I'm temporarily holding crow's feet at bay.

To be honest, I think my skin is still looking OK for my age. I've worn moisturizer with SPF for years and have never smoked. I don't have fair, freckled skin, have never had a blistering sunburn and I'm neither obese nor underweight. I have however, used a tanning bed on occasion, I enjoy a drink (or a few) from time to time and I frequently get less than 6 hours of sleep a night.

According to this quiz, all of the above affect how well your skin ages. I took the test and came out with a score of 5, which I must say I'm pretty proud of. I do know though, that if I'm not careful a few of my bad habits could cause my skin to age prematurely. If you're interested in the real age of your skin, try out the quiz and see how you measure up and how you can improve the look your body's largest organ.

At 29-years-old, Zita Farrelly died of skin cancer. But she wasn't at the beach 6 times a week, or outside all summer without ever using sunblock. Ms. Farrely's cancer was due entirely to her excessive use of tanning beds.

From age 14 to 21, the mother of two used sunbeds twice a day -- hundreds and hundreds of times -- then stopped, when she learned of the negative impact tanning could have on her health. It was already too late, however, as last year she found a mole on her leg, which was later diagnosed as melanoma.

Her family is now working to warn others of the dangers of using sunbeds -- hoping to prevent similar tragedies.

In this 'information generation' that we live in, it's still amazing to me that anyone at all would go out in the sun specifically to tan/burn or actually pay to ingest tanning rays in a tanning bed. It just seems weird! We all know that even moderate exposure to UVA and UVB rays can cause skin cancer. And even if one doesn't end up with a fatal case of melanoma, the little scars you could end up with all over your body from having suspicious moles removed is pretty stressful. Wrinkly or splotchy skin follow in the delightful side effects category as well.

But don't get me wrong. I love a bronze body now and then too. I'm just not willing to suffer the consequences of achieving it the old-fashioned way. If you haven't tried sunless tanning lotions or spray tanning booths, give them a shot. Even if you have tried them before and weren't satisfied, go back and try some different varieties. They've come along way since the days when sunless tanning left orange stinky skin. I prefer Mystic Tanning, which allows me to stand in the buff all alone and achieve a completely bronze body with no funny lines. None! No one else has to 'do my back' and the process takes a total of 25 seconds. It's great!

There are many other options though. Sunless tanning products are available in every drug store, grocery store, and upscale department store. Some are cheap, some are expensive, but all of them are well worth the price. Just imagine how much chemotherapy would cost you!

Despite the fact that cancer is the second most common cancer for 20-29 year-olds, young people are still spending their summer afternoons lounging in the sun, working on their tans.

So, with melanoma rates rapidly increasing, health professionals have been desperate to figure out how to convince teens and 20-somethings to take better care of their skin. Fortunately, they may have found the solution, but it doesn't have anything to do with cancer.

Apparently, most young people are more afraid of wrinkles than they are of melanoma.

Subsequently, one professor is using vanity to try keep college kids out of the sun. By showing them photos of people with heavy wrinkling and age spots, and comparing those images to Polaroids of the students' sun-damaged faces (taken with an ultraviolet camera), the professor reveals the places age sports and uneven pigmentation will eventually appear. As you might suspect, most students are "visibly shocked when they see the photos, and it seems to have an immediate impact."

While the dangers of cancer are still the same -- regardless of whether or not people accept them -- if vanity is what it takes to convince people to protect themselves, then I'm all for this approach.

While I'll admit that I used a tanning bed once or twice when I was young and not-so-wise, I can't say I ever enjoyed the experience: Get naked in a cubicle, sweat inside a box while wearing those funny glasses, and leave with that unpleasant "tanner" smell following you everywhere you go -- not my idea of fun.

But did you know that it's possible to be addicted to tanning? Recent research found that when people were given a drug that blocked endorphins in the brain, they had withdrawal symptoms after their next tanning sessions. Not only that, when people were asked to tan in UVA or non-UVA beds without knowing which was which, they eventually and unconsciously were drawn to the UVA beds.

Experts say there are three signs that you're addicted to tanning:

1. You just can't stop tanning.
2. When you get up in the morning, you can't wait to tan.
3. People tell you that you have a problem and it ticks you off.

I think I'd add #4: You have tough, leathery, sun-damaged skin, and if you don't, you will soon. Get your rays the natural way -- outdoors and with plenty of sunscreen.

Are you someone who thinks everything causes cancer? Do you feel it strikes people at random -- or that, in spite of all the studies, there's nothing you can do to protect yourself?

If so, you might be more prone to the disease.

Recent research finds that almost half of the population agrees that "nearly everything causes cancer," and half of that group feels there's nothing can do to prevent it. Subsequently, they don't take any precautions against the disease.

This mentality, however, is exactly what makes them more vulnerable. Because, in fact, about 2/3 of all cancer cases are preventable. 30% of cancer deaths are related to smoking, and 20% are linked to obesity. So don't smoke, eat fruits and vegetables, and don't spend all day in the sun, and you'll drastically reduce your risk.

And next time you think it's beyond your control -- especially if you're using that belief as an excuse to smoke, tan, or avoid a healthy lifestyle -- think again.

While "getting some sun" on a regular basis is very good for you (produces vitamin D inside the body), too much exposure to the sun's rays has been linked to cancer. Specifically, skin cancer (melanoma). Just how much is enough, then, when it comes to sun exposure?

I'm no fan of sunscreens due to all the chemicals used (and the atrocious smell). The solution is to limit your exposure, right? A new review of research shows that limiting sun exposure is better for the prevention of skin cancer than using sunscreen alone.

The next time you think about spending an entire day under those rays, you may want to re-think and only spend a partial day (or a few hours) outside underneath our golden friend.

[correction noted]

The season of sun and summer fun is almost here, and the season of new peely sunburns is here now. The aisles at the drugstore are filling up with sunscreens of every type, and making sure you get stocked up is as important as ever. It is also important to understand the factors that put you at particular risk for getting a sunburn so you can take necessary measures to protect yourself. As humans we are all at risk of getting burned by the sun if we aren't careful, but special risk factors to consider are:

• Babies and children with fairer and more delicate skin.
  
• Adults with fair skin tones (although remember: everybody can burn!)
• Spending time outdoors during the peak hours of 10am to 4pm
• Using a tanning bed
• Spending time near or on reflective surfaces like sand and water
• Using certain medications that increase your sun sensitivity, like some birth controls and antibiotics

I'm like anybody else -- I think tan just looks better. But I also believe the health risks associated with sun (or even worse: tanning bed) exposure is very real. I don't want to look wrinkled before my time, or get an easily avoided and potentially deadly disease like skin cancer, so I'm always looking for the latest and greatest in self-tanning products.

So naturally when I saw this article I had to take a look, and thankfully it doesn't sound like there's anything to worry about. Now if I can just find a tanner that never EVER streaks...

It's old news that tanning beds increase the risk for (and in many cases even cause) skin cancer, but the latest tidbit is that the age at which you start tanning can also have a significant impact on your risk -- and not just because starting younger means tanning longer.

In an article published in the March edition of the International Journal of Cancer, experts are recommending that policy makers restrict the access of minors to tanning beds and other tanning equipment. With cancer risks for people under age 35 jumping by as much as 75% when tanning beds are involved, as beautiful as tans are maybe we should look at different regulations across the board, for everybody.