Saving Lives as a Skin Cancer Advocate
- Actress and skin cancer survivor Diane Keaton, who is also a big advocate for the disease, releases new coffee table book ‘Saved.’
- The Godfather legend opened up to PEOPLE about some of her favorite images from the book, and says she will never retire.
- If you have a mark or lump on your skin that you think is suspicious, or if you know you've been exposed to a lot of sun, it's worth it to get checked out by a dermatologist.
“I do nothing but collect,” the Hollywood-based star told the outlet. “Have you noticed? It’s a little bit of an addiction. So I figured I’d put some things together.”
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Keaton, who has a 27-year-old daughter named Dexter, was asked if she is looking forward to being a grandma someday. “I can’t imagine what that will be like,” she admitted, saying her daughter and husband aren’t really discussing that at this point. “I’m going to love the kid, probably.”
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Keatonwho has snapped dozens of photos of Hollywood Blvd. some 40 years ago, many of which she has included in the booksaid she is “looking forward” to another book … her film, Book Club 2, with fellow legends Jane Fonda and Candace Bergen. “Those women are fantastic.”
As for a planned retirement? “I don’t want to! At all.” That’s the spirit!
Diane Keaton’s Skin Cancer Advocacy
Keaton is known for her fondness of hats, gloves, and turtlenecks a look she's adopted to protect her skin. The actress, whose films include The Godfather movies and Something's Gotta Give, was first diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common form of skin cancer, at 21.
"When I was growing up, [sun protection] wasn't even around or discussed. … I'm so protected now. I take vitamin D," she has said in her advocacy work as spokesperson for L'Oreal Paris. "You've got to put the sunblock on, you've got to go to the dermatologist, you have to take care of yourself and pay attention, and you have to apply it more than once when you're laying in the sun."
More recently, she was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma. Keaton encourages her fans to practice proper sun protection and has shared her family history with the disease (both her father and brother have had BCCs removed).
Related: 'Get Your Skin Checked': Hugh Jackman Posts a Skin Cancer Prevention Reminder for Fans
What Is Basal Cell Carcinoma?
Basal Cell Carcinomas can look like sores, red or pink growths, shiny bumps, scars, or slightly misshapen growths, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. If you have a mark or lump on your skin that you think is suspicious, or if you know you've been exposed to a lot of sun, it's worth it to get checked out by a dermatologist.
She Beat Skin Cancer Thanks To Her Daughter and Paying It Forward With A Cancer Awareness Campaign
Skin Cancer Self-Check
Doing regular self-checks on your skin is important to find skin cancer early and bring it to the attention of a dermatologist. If you're high-risk, it's especially vital. Dr. Cecilia Larocca, a dermatologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, recommends looking at your skin once a month for anything suspiciousand using the acronym ABCDE as a checklist:
- Asymmetrical moles: if you drew a line straight down the center of the mole, would the sides match?
- Borders: irregular, jagged, not smooth; can also stand for bleeding’
- Colors: multiple distinct colors in the mole
- Diameter: larger than 6mm, about the size of a pencil head eraser
- Evolution: This may be the most important, anything that is changing over time such as gaining color, losing color, painful, itching, hurting, changing shape, etc…
Top 5 Ways to Protect Your Skin From Skin Cancer
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