Coming from a family with a history of malignant melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer, i am always conscious of how to maintain healthy skin for as long as possible . My mom's parents both have had melanoma. My mother is always reminding me of the blistering sunburns she received as a teenager, lifeguarding outdoors under the shadeless, high-noon sun of summer. She tells me that when she was a teenager, no one really was aware of, or informed about the short and longterm effects of sun exposure on the skin. So for me, the primary factor in maintaining healthy skin, is to avoid overexposure and unprotected exposure to the sun's harmful rays. I avoid tanning booths and know it is unhealthy, although my peers use them. I wear sunblock every day, even when it's 40 degrees out. Besides lessening my skin cancer risk with these practices, I am also encouraged by the fact that sun avoidance will mean less blemishes and wrinkles for me.
I have never smoked, and never would smoke. I haven't smoked in the past because I am an athlete and need healthy lungs to excel in my sport. But I am also aware that smoking makes people lose the elasticity of their skin at an earlier age, and I would rather hold onto my youthful skin then ever explore what smoking is all about. Besides lung cancer, smoking has been linked to other cancers, including those of the skin.
Antioxidants in the diet are important cancer-fighters, and I am aware of their benefits every day, consuming green tea and blueberries as much as these are available to prevent skin cancer and maintain a healthy intake for overall health. I also drink orange juice regularly and am glad to know that vitamin C helps promote healthy skin cells.
A regular skin care regimen will also help, not so much with preventing skin cancer, but with evening my skin tone and reducing the onset of wrinkles. Gentle exfoliation and removing the extra oil in my skin seems to help my overall appearance; it's great to read that this is an importance aspect of overall care. (1)
And stress is good for nothing! There are so many articles and advice pages one reads and hears over the course of a week that speaks to the concept of body, mind and stress relationships. I think if a person has had a chronically stressful life with factors they have little control over, it will show on their skin earlier than someone who has managed to either escape chronic stressors, or find supportive resources to help with their challenges. Reading this article had been a reminder of the importance of overall health, and of the necessary habits one must incorporate in caring for our largest and most obvious organ, the skin. Hail to sunblock, and berries, and best friends!
(1)http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/skin-care/SN00003
Now you're on the right track! This was the most detailed and in-depth discussion I've seen yet in the class regarding healthy behaviors and genetic/environmental risk for skin cancer. Nicely done!
ReplyDeleteAs you probably know, my mother was diagnosed with a metastatic melanoma once it had already spread. She was like your mom/family: she burned often as a sun worshipper and used baby oil to get even more "tan." But the scary thing is that many people aren't even diagnosed with melanoma and can have it if the lesion is pale/white or hard to find (like in the hairline or on the back). So for those who partake in unhealthy behaviors: they must get checked often by dermatologists, and they also must pay attention to strange aches and pains. Catching these cancers early is so important.
Two notes: watch those "i"s and expand that URL/footnote to an MLA citation/full works cited entry.