4 myths surrounding skin cancer

Don’t worry if you don’t know how to protect your skin as no one is too old or young to master it. In fact, the rates of Melanoma are increasing mainly amongst women less than 40 years of age. This is perhaps because of the fact that the chances of these women getting skin cancer are eight times more than in 1970.

While sunscreens were not used as much now as it was 4 decades ago, people are well aware of the damages of excessive sun exposure and tanning beds. However despite this knowledge, their behavior is not changing.

It’s not just a teenager’s mentality that nothing bad will happen which plays here, there are various misconceptions endangering everyone everywhere. To find out more, read these skin care myths which may put your health at risk.

Myth no.1: You need to apply a sunscreen immediately on reaching the beach.

No, you need to apply it about an hour before entering the sun so that it has sufficient time to absorb into your skin. If you wait, there is a high chance that your skin has already been exposed to direct sunlight while in the midst of reaching your car!

Myth no.2: All you need to do is a yearly mole check for screening.

An annual scanning is enough if you are not at a high risk for skin cancers. However if you are fair, have suffered numerous sunburns in life or have a family history of melanoma, it’s better to consult a dermatologist every six months.

Myth no.3: A base tan ensures you don’t burn.

This is not true at all as if you give yourself a base, you practically double-dip in harmful UV rays. In fact, if you pair this mentality with some fair genetics, you are left with a melanoma breeding ground. Remember that there is nothing as a base tan; tanned skin is damaged and damaged skin is always damaged.

Myth no.4: People with naturally dark skin don’t need to use any sunscreen while outdoors.

Dermatologists state that skin cancer is color-blind. In fact, the rates and incidences of skin cancer is increasing in Latinos. Moreover, people with dark skin face the risk of not recognizing the early stages of skin cancer as early as people with light skin do.

These are the main myths surrounding skin cancer. Skin cancer can occur to anyone; so make it mandatory that you wear sunscreen whenever you go out into the sun, avoid excessive tanning and make sure you show anything doubtful to your dermatologist.