A Father’s ‘Harmless’ Freckle Turned Out to Be Melanoma; How to Protect Your Skin Year-Round

His family is speaking out after new research which shows that one in five skin cancer diagnoses have been overlooked amid the COVID-19 pandemic, reports The Sun. John’s daughter, Danielle, tells the paper, "I've shown pictures of his tumor to friends as a warning of what skin cancer can do. This is what they should be putting on the side of sunbeds in tanning salons – just like they do with the images of tarred lungs on cigarette packets."

Despite going through chemotherapy, John passed away from melanoma after a brief battle with the disease.

Understanding Melanoma

Melanoma is a serious type of skin cancer. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), skin cancer is the most common among all types of cancers, and melanoma accounts for only about 1% of skin cancers, however, melanoma causes the majority of skin cancer deaths.

Related: A Near-Death Experience With Melanoma was the 'Light Switch Moment' That Changed Actor/Model Jay Klay's Life

Protecting your skin isn’t season-specific, you should be doing it year-round. Dermatologist Dr. Dendy Engelman says in an earlier interview, "It's a common misconception that people think they only have to protect their skin when they're in the bright, warm sunshine. But the reality is, we can get sun damage at any time throughout the year…even in the cold, wintry months. If we're unprotected for even fifteen minutes a day. If we think about the cumulative effects that has on our skin over a lifetime, it's very real."

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Dr. Engelman compares caring for your skin to caring for other parts of the body. She explains, "We protect our teeth all the time, every day, twice a day…That's the same concept as sunscreen. The more we do it, the more we're protected, the more our risk is limited."

Melanoma Awareness: Yes, You Still Need to Protect Your Skin In The Winter

Protecting Your Skin

In order to lower your skin cancer risk, it’s imperative that you protect your skin with some simple steps. Dr. Engelman lays out in an earlier interview some easy ways to protect yourself from skin cancer. Dr. Engelman says:

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1. Avoid the sun during peak hours This means from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It doesn't mean you should never go outside during the middle of the day, but make sure you're protected when you do venture outdoors.
2. Cover your skin and eyes A wide brim hat and sunglasses will protect your face, the top of your head, your ears, and the delicate skin around your eyes.
3. Wear an SPF of 30 or higher This is easy enough. Plenty of facial moisturizers have SPF built into them.
4. Get an annual skin check You can check your own skin for anything that looks out of the ordinary, but you should still get a yearly check to make sure you didn't miss anything. If you do happen to notice anything out of the ordinary in between checks, schedule an appointment to talk to your doctor about it ASAP it is always worth it to make sure.
5. Avoid tanning beds. Tanning beds can significantly increase your risk of developing melanoma. If you feel like you're just too pale, Dr. Engelman recommends a sunless tanner. "There's absolutely no benefit to going to a tanning bed," Dr. Engelman says.

Top 5 Ways to Protect Your Skin From Skin Cancer

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