Baby Boomers and Skin Cancer

For those of us over 50, baby oil and iodine may be an all too familiar memory of our 20’s. Throw in a reflector followed by a top notch sunburn and that’s how I attained that perfectly bronzed body during my younger days. Knowing what we all know now, the idea isn’t quite as appealing these days!

As a consequence of the era where we baked until we were a fine golden brown, many of us are now keeping our dermatologist busy. And if you haven't visited your doctor yet, you may want to consider it!

Skin cancer has different types, but as with many others, the earlier you catch it, the better options you have for treatment.

From my own experiences, don’t ignore anything. I recently noticed a very tiny spot in the small of my back. A quick biopsy determined it was squamous cell carcinoma and I had MOH surgery to remove it. A tiny scar that’s now hardly even noticeable is a small price to pay. Had I waited, it would have been larger and could have spread. A spot on my face was also suspicious and frozen off. Left a slight white mark, but again far better than waiting and needing a more invasive procedure. 

While none of us want scars, the techniques used for these removals when caught early are minimal and certainly better than the alternatives!

For scars on your face, long-lasting coverage concealers work beautifully, and using one with sunscreen is even better. Hats, sunglasses with UV protection (very important) and sunscreen are a must.

And being covered doesn't mean you can't still have that sun-kissed look with your favorite bronzer. My current favorite is Benefit’s Hoola Matte Bronzer in a powder and of course tanning moisturizers will work too!

As always, it's never too late to protect your beautiful skin so please use that sunscreen! If it's exposed and the sun is out, you’re at risk. And make that call to the doc for your skin check. The sooner the better!