May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, so I thought I'd start the month off with a post about the most basic form of skin cancer awareness. To me, that is the simple acceptance of skin cancer as a "real cancer".
When I started telling friends and family that I was diagnosed with skin cancer, I got a lot of different reactions. When I cancelled my membership at the tanning salon and told the girl there that just 6 months of tanning gave me skin cancer, she said "when they get rid of it you can always come back and tan again". Like it was a cold or something that I would just get rid of and be back in the tanning bed soon.
The most common reaction seemed to be almost relief, accompanied by the response of "well, they can just cut it out right?" It was so non-chalant that I almost started to feel the same.. that maybe skin cancer was no big deal.
It wasn't until my dermatologist stressed to me that having skin cancer would be life changing; that I would have a large (rather ugly) scar, would need to make changes in my sun protection routine, and that I would need to have my skin checked every 3 months; that I realized, Skin Cancer is Cancer and Skin Cancer is a “big deal”.
A skin cancer diagnosis WILL change your life and could even end it.
An estimated 16,170 people in the US will die from skin cancer in the year 2015. And the World Health Organization estimates that more than 65,000 people a year die worldwide from skin cancer.
This May, re evaluate how you love and protect your skin! By simply wearing proper sun protection, and encouraging others to do the same, we can prevent Skin Cancer!
As always, protect and love the skin you're in.
As always, protect and love the skin you're in.
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