Skin cancer prevention measures

Skin cancer is a dangerous type of cancer. However, even so this disease does not mean it cannot be avoided. There are several things you can do if you really don't want to experience a skin disease. Then, what are some prevention against skin cancer that you can do? Come on, consider the following explanation, yes.

Various skin cancer prevention that can be done

Not everyone realizes how important it is to maintain healthy skin. Moreover, the part of the skin that is often exposed to sunlight. The reason is, this exposure is one of the causes of skin cancer. To avoid this disease, there are several ways you can do to prevent it.

Here are some prevention efforts against skin cancer that you can do, including:

1. Discipline using sunscreen (sunblock)

Given that sun exposure is one of the main causes of skin cancer, prevention that can be done is to minimize sun exposure. This is especially mandatory from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The reason is, it is at these hours that the UV rays obtained from sun exposure are very strong. There are three types of UV (ultraviolet) radiation emitted by the sun, but only UVA and UVB have an effect on the human body.

UVA rays, or commonly known as aging rays, can accelerate skin aging, and cause wrinkles and dark spots. Meanwhile, UVB or burning rays is a type of light that can make skin burn.

Too high exposure to these two rays can lead to skin cancer. What's more, UVA rays can penetrate glass and clouds. Although UVB rays cannot, the radiation intensity is much stronger than UVA.

That's why it's important that you apply sunscreen every day before going outside, even if it's cloudy. Sunblock or sunscreen will block the absorption of radiation into the surface of the skin. If accidentally exposed to or rinsed with water, immediately reapply sunscreen.

2. Wear clothes that cover the skin

Try to wear clothes that cover your skin so that you minimize the sun's exposure when going outside. For example, long sleeves, trousers, hats, and sunglasses with protection against ultraviolet rays.

If possible, you can also take preventative measures against skin cancer by using clothing that has a label ultraviolet protection factor or clothing specially made to protect the skin from sun exposure.

By getting used to wearing closed clothes when traveling, you have made efforts to minimize the potential for excessive sun exposure, so that the risk of developing skin cancer decreases.

3. Avoid excessive sun exposure

Even though you have used sunscreen and dressed closed, it is better to avoid excessive sun exposure. Especially in the range of 10 am to 4 pm when the sun is at its highest.

However, that does not mean that you are not exposed to the sun at all, huh. The reason is, lack of sunlight is also not good and can cause disease, for example, vitamin D deficiency.

Avoiding excessive sun exposure can help prevent sunburns from the skin. This is because skin that is often sunburned makes it more susceptible to skin cancer.

4. Check skin condition regularly

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, one of the efforts to prevent skin cancer that can be done is to check the skin condition regularly. You can do this independently by finding out if there are any symptoms of skin cancer in the body.

Check your skin from head to toe to make sure that the skin is in good health. However, if in doubt, you can also detect skin cancer early by going to a skin specialist.

At least, if you are diagnosed with this disease, your doctor can immediately determine the type of skin cancer treatment that suits your health.

5. Avoid doing tanning

Tanning is one of the activities carried out to darken the skin color. Apart from basking in the sun, tanning usually done indoors using closed tanning bed which emits ultraviolet light.

The presence of ultraviolet rays can harm the health condition of your skin. Apart from increasing your potential for skin cancer, do tanning with tanning bed can accelerate the premature aging of the skin.

Therefore, if you want to take precautions against skin cancer, you should avoid it tanning .

How to use effective sunscreen for skin cancer prevention

There are some tips on using sunscreen that you can do to be effective at preventing skin cancer:

• Keep using sunscreen even though it is cloudy.
• Use it every two hours, especially if you sweat easily or have washed off the sunscreen with water.
• Use sunscreen sparingly, at least one ounce for adults, especially on skin that is not protected by clothing.
• Don't just use it on the body area, but also use it on the face area, including the neck and ears.
• When going outside to do daily activities, use a sunscreen with SPF 15 or more. Meanwhile, if you spend most of your time doing outdoor activities, use sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or more.
• Use sunscreen 30 minutes before you go outside so that it is properly absorbed by the skin first.