SKIN CANCER
Know the Symptoms
Skin cancer is nothing to take lightly. Know what the symptoms are and take preventive measures.
The Talk
With the untimely death of Jimmy Buffett due to complications with skin cancer, the first thing that pops into my head is “Who is next?”.
We all know someone close to us who like to spend lots of time in the sun, whether it’s recreational or work related. Sun exposure is a real problem and will continue to be as the summers grow longer, hotter and more extreme due to climate change. In regard to Jimmy Buffett, it was a shock yet at the same time, not surprising. I know this sounds like a contradiction and it kind of is. Jimmy was youthful and full of life into his seventy’s. You would never have got the impression that he was ill. He gave no indication that he planned to stop touring but given the fact that his line of work had him spending copious amounts of time in the sun performing at his resorts and cruises, not to mention vacationing in the sun, I was not surprised by the cause of death.
It’s time we had this discussion. I really am hard pressed to find a more uncomfortable topic of discussion. Maybe the death of a child or household pet?
We all know that death is inevitable but I would like to hold it off a little longer if that’s ok with it y’all. Maybe this will be of some help to you the reader. Who knows?
I would hate to find out I was dying from a disease I could have prevented or received early treatment. Covid-19 anyone?
We may have preventive measure in our hands.
What Is Skin Cancer?
Skin cancer occurs when abnormal skin cells grow out of control. It begins in the outer most layer of the epidermis.
This is usually caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun or tanning beds.
It is the most common form of cancer in the United States, with more than two million people diagnosed with skin cancer annually. In fact, between 40 and 50 percent of Americans who live to age 65 will develop skin cancer at some point in their lives.
The main types include basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma, and Merkel cell cancer.
What To Look For
• Open sore: Squamous cell carcinoma may appear as an open sore that does not heal. You may notice that it tends to bleed and ooze, then crust over.
•Red, scaly patches: Squamous cell carcinoma often appears as a thick, rough patch of skin. Over time it becomes red and scaly.
•Elevated growth: As squamous cell carcinoma becomes more advanced, it starts to look like it is raised off of the skin. The edges may be raised while the center is sunken.
•Wart-like growth: Once a squamous cell carcinoma lesion develops raised edges, it can start to look like a wart. Advanced cases may look like a wart with a small horn-shaped growth coming out of it.
•Color: The color of a squamous cell carcinoma lesion varies by skin color. The growth may be red, pink, brown, black, white, or yellow.
•Numbness: Most cases of squamous cell carcinoma are not painful, but your lesion may feel numb or like “pins and needles.” Itching is also possible.
Prevention
Now that we know what it is, let’s start implementing some preventative measures. I don’t know about you but I do not fancy cancer growing on my skin, no sir! Miss me with that shit.
One of the best prevention methods that comes to mind is reducing the amount of time spent in the sun, especially if you’re light skinned. It may sound like a bummer but maybe….just maybe spending hours sunbathing in the sun is not the best thing we can do for our skin.
If you do plan on being out in the sun, use plenty of sun screen and wear a hat.
👉🏽Don’t be afraid of wearing long sleeves even in the summer. If I know I’ll be working for an extensive period of time, I’ll wear a wide brimmed hat, long sleeve shirt, and garden gloves. I just can’t be too careful. Call me paranoid 👀
Thank you for taking the time to read. This has been another random rambling by Honeylu. For more Ramblings, give me a follow.
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