Protect Yourself From Skin Cancer
- A young woman recently shared a video documenting her severe sun poisoning while on vacation.
- According to the Cleveland Clinic, sun poisoning isn't a formal medical term but can be characterized as “a severe sunburn that seems similar to an allergic reaction.”
- Symptoms of any sunburn, severe or not, are usually temporary. But the damage to skin cells is often permanent, and serious long-term effects can include skin cancer and early aging of the skin.
- We can get sun damage at any time throughout the year. Our experts recommend using skin protection techniques like sunscreen all year round.
The young woman shared a video on the social media platform TikTok detailing her severe reaction to sun exposure while on vacation. She shows the total transformation of her face over time, and the video has amassed over 8 million views.
Read More@llioeriin Watch me get sunposioning #holiday #sunburncheck #sunposioning ♬ use this if youre gay – alex â—¡ÌŽ
The next morning, she awoke with a swollen eye that prevented her from opening it. She took a nap later that day and woke up to discover that both of her eyes had swollen. Her condition only worsened throughout the day to the point where she could no longer see.
“Remember to wear suncream,” she wrote at this point of the video.
The following day, her face started peeling at the airport. And she eventually went to the hospital looking “like a chipmunk,” she described.
What Is Sun Poisoning?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, sun poisoning isn't a formal medical term. But it can be characterized as “a severe sunburn that seems similar to an allergic reaction.”
Sun poisoning can cause a range of symptoms (depending on the severity) including:
- Severe rash
- Blistering or peeling skin
- Nausea
- Dehydration
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Lightheadedness
- Shortness of breath
- Fainting
- Blistering of the lips
Johns Hopkins Medicine also lists “swelling of the skin” as a symptom of sunburns. So, it makes sense that the woman from the TikTok experienced that as a possible side effect of too much sun exposure.
Five Ways to Protect Yourself from Skin Cancer
Symptoms of any sunburn, severe or not, are usually temporary. But the damage to skin cells is often permanent, and serious long-term effects can include skin cancer and early aging of the skin.
Skin cancers usually develop on parts of the body that tend to get more sun exposure like the face, head, neck and arms, but they can develop anywhere on the body including places like the bottoms of your feet, your genitals and inside your mouth.
Top 5 Ways to Protect Your Skin From Skin Cancer
Dr. Dendy Engelman, a board certified dermatologic surgeon at Shafer Clinic Fifth Avenue, previously spoke with SurvivorNet about ways to reduce your risk of developing skin cancer. Below are her top five:
- Avoid sun during peak hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Wear a wide brimmed hat and sunglasses to protect the tops of our heads, the tops of our ears and the delicate area around the eye.
- Wear at least SPF 30 sunscreen and make sure to reapply every two hours or after excessive sweating or swimming.
- Have yearly skin checks (with a professional) because it's difficult to evaluate areas all over the body.
- Avoid tanning beds. There are no "good" tanning beds, and they can significantly increase your risk of skin cancer.
Skin Protection Is NOT Seasonal
As we inch closer to the summertime, people might be thinking it’s time to whip out the sunscreen again. But the truth is that you should be protecting your skin with things like sunscreen all year round.
"My patients ask me all the time, 'Do I really need sunscreen every day, all year round?' The answer is yes," Dr. Engelman told SurvivorNet. "People think they only need sun protection 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.
“Think about when you go skiing. That's a very high risk. Even though it's cold, our skin should be protected.”
Choose the Right Sunscreen and Use It Often
So, don't forget to consistently use sunscreen all year round. And if you're still not convinced, Dr. Engelman urges people to think about the big picture.
"The reality is, the sun can damage us even in incidental exposure," she said. "If we're unprotected, for even 15 minutes a day, if we think about the cumulative effects that has on our skin over a lifetime, it's very real… The more we [wear sunscreen], the more we're protected. The more our risk is limited."
One way to make sunscreen usage a part of your lifestyle is to make a habit out of it.
"I just tell patients, 'Make it part of your daily routine. Just like you brush your teeth, you should be reaching for sunscreen every day,'" Dr. Engelman said.
Sun protection is only really effective if you're doing it wisely. So, dermatologist Dr. Snehal Amin, the co-founder and surgical director of MDCS Dermatology: Medical Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery, says finding the appropriate skin protection measures for any given activity is crucial.
"If you want to engage in outdoor activities, which is great for your health and is really a lot of fun, it's important to make sure you don't also get a sunburn," he said. "Now if you're like me, and you like to surf, or wind surf, or ski or anything like that, most of those activities can't be done in 20 minutes, so you have to wear the right protection for those activities.
"When I go skiing, always make sure you've got the zinc oxide paste on your nose. When I go surfing, always make sure you have the long-sleeved surf shirt, because really you can't apply that much sunscreen over and over again to your body."
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