The Cardiologist's Wife
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Sun Damage Evidence
[ Post by Lisa Tedder ][ Post on June 14, 2012 ][ In Fitness Tips, For new Mom's ]
Sometimes you have to scare people to get their attention. People don’t want to work at improving their health or change their habits for the better. Why give up cigarettes? Why exercise? I’d rather plop on the couch in front of the TV all night. I like eating as much as I want, even if it’s enough for a cow. And on and on….
But I keep waving my arms and yelling about good health, hoping someone out there will listen. Today I have the perfect ammo to scare people with – a picture. This picture is the perfect example of why you need to use sunscreen every day. This picture was featured on the news last week and it paints a graphic image of just how much damage the sun can do. The man in the unaltered photo was a truck driver for 28 years and you can see how the sun streaming in the window has dramatically damaged the left side of his face. Constant exposure to the sun’s rays causes a thickening of the skin as well as a loss of elasticity (wrinkles). Of course you know that the sun can also cause skin cancer but you’d like to ignore that fact.
If nothing else, let vanity rule and wear sunscreen every day, 365 days a year. Limit your exposure to the sun by avoiding the hours between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. when the sun is the strongest. Wear protective clothing such as a hat or sit under an umbrella at the pool or beach. Don’t think a tanning bed is safer; my niece found out the hard way as she has had two skin cancers cut out already by age 35. (BTW, she is dark complected, dark eyes and hair, not fair skinned.) She was happy they weren’t the deadly kind of skin cancer. Don’t think getting a “base tan” will protect you – it’s all skin damage. If you must sport some color, try tanning creme, wipes or the spray on version. There has been some controversy about the safety of these methods lately but nothing definite yet. If you notice any changes on your skin that don’t go away, have them checked out by a physician. There are many products with sunscreen these days so find something you don’t mind wearing. Many lotions, skin creams and even makeup have sunscreen so there is bound to be an acceptable version for you.
I wear a tinted sunscreen on my face every day. I have worn sunscreen for years and stayed out of the sun. I was a bit ahead of my time as most of my peers laid out for hours for that deep dark Hawaiian tan. I am 50 years old and have never had any cosmetic procedures such as Botox, only the occasional facial. What do you think of my skin? Do I look younger or older than 50? I’d like to point out that we go to the beach every year, I swim and ride my horse and I’m not a vampire who only comes out at night. In the photo, I am not wearing makeup and you can see some brown spots on my nose caused by the sun.
I hope you parents will show this to your teens. They probably won’t listen but they are all about vanity. If you have young children, please protect them from the sun as much as you can.
Upadated on June 14, 2012
2 Responses to “Sun Damage Evidence”
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I appreciate this article. My Dad had to have some pre-cancerous lesions removed from his forehead. The doctor told him he should be wearing sunscreen every time he left the house. I have the same very fair skin and reddish blonde hair. We’ve been to the Caribbean twice and nobody in my family has gotten burned. We wear SPF clothing and SPF 50 sunscreen. It’s so important!
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