Skin Cancer from Fun in the Sun

The sun is so good to us, and families have fun in the sun. The sun sits there in the sky in all its glory, adorning the world with its precious beams of sunshine, brightening our moods, letting us play in its wonder, swimming, fishing and just hanging out. The sun sure makes us happy in so many ways. Warnings are everywhere about the danger, but we think it could never happen to us. Teens and adults swarm to tanning parlors, even when the sun is available. where bodies bake, and everyone becomes tan and beautiful. Some people, like the famous actress, Nicole Kidman, wouldn’t dare go in the sun, as it is the enemy and would ruin beautiful fair skin, but that is the rarity. Did you know that even dogs get sunburned, especially on white areas and on their paws? Watch your dog's time in the very hot sun.

I know what the sun can do to your skin. At the age of sixteen, a friend and I headed for Crystal Beach, Canada on the ferry from Buffalo for a day in the sun. Disappointed that the day was cloudy, we went on the beach anyway. What a big mistake that became for my poor fair skin. From 11 to 7, we sat on the beach, never thinking of sunburn on a cloudy day. On the boat ride back. I became so ill that I had to lie down. We took a cab home, and I passed out as soon as I walked in the door. With my skin as red as an apple, I received the needed medical care and some of my pain disappeared. Bandaged as I was, I still had to go to summer school and soon appeared like a leper as my skin began to peel everywhere. That was the worst experience I ever had. I am glad I didn’t know that later on in life, skin cancer would enter the life of my family.

My husband has skin cancer, recently discovered in September 2010. In his youth, he spent his spare time at the lake swimming and fishing without the use of sunscreen. When we moved to Oklahoma, we put a pool in our backyard. His great love of the sun and working outside resulted in numerous hours swimming, cleaning the pool, mowing, and running at a nearby park. He tried to refrain from these activities between the hours of 10 and 2, but that still left many hours outside when the temperature was in the 90’s or 100’s. That sounds dangerous. His skin cancer was on his face, and basal cell carcinoma normally does not spread to other areas. A surgeon excised a large area of his cheek, leaving a scar about 3 inches long. It began with a very small pearl like pimple and a physician checked it soon afterward. Prior to that, he had many spots removed from his balding head.

When my friend’s daughter was twelve, she asked her mother for money for 6^th grade graduation to have her nails done and for tanning. It had become the rage at that early age to go tanning, and many parents allowed this foolish plan due to peer pressure from friends. How sad that our society has come to this for our young ones. What kind of peer pressure is that? Why can’t parents deny their teen’s access to such plans that are damaging to young skin?

As you can see, being in the sun or tanning can be very dangerous. People, especially young people, believe that nothing will happen to them. Even if it doesn't, when these people get older, they often have skin that looks like worn leather, aging them even more. Be cautious by using a good sunscreen lotion and stay in the sun for a little while at a time. Put zinc oxide ointment, a total sun block on your nose, wear a wide hat to shade your face. Remember, artificial ways exist to get a tan with lotions, but be sure to check the safety of even these products. The sun is fun, but also dangerous. Instead, aim to live for a long time by being careful. Do not allow your pride of tanned skin betray you someday. Do not become an innocent victim of the bright golden happy looking sun, as danger lurks behind the fun in the sun.