July is UV Awareness month, so let’s talk about some imperative precautions. Did you know that UV stands for ultraviolet, which refers to the sun’s radiation? If you didn’t, now you know! As a fair-skinned, blue-eyed blonde, I try to keep an eye out for any changes in the many moles I have on my skin. This can be tricky when there are so many and they all look so different.
How do you know when you should have a skin lesion looked at? If you notice a mole or skin lesion has any of these features, call your primary care provider or a dermatologist:
1. Bigger than a pencil eraser
2. Irregularly shaped
3. Bleeds or crusts over
4. Changes over time
5. Is more than one color (areas of darker/black/bluish/red, etc.)
We all know about sunscreens and that they are necessary to prevent skin damage from the sun. Unfortunately, some sunscreens contain chemicals that we don’t want to apply to our skin over and over throughout the day, because the chemicals themselves have been shown to contribute to cancer. Here is a good article listing some of the safest and worst sunscreens. ⬇️
Thanks for reading!
