Ah, the sun is such a nice thing to have every day. Truth is the sun is a real SUN-of-a-gun! Sunshine is great way to get vitamin D, but it can also give you skin cancer. There are many places in the world where using sunscreen every day is a must before you leave the house. Skin damage can occur in less than 5 minutes. Sunshine feels good but it gives off ultraviolet (UV) light, which, over time gives you wrinkles, dark spots and other skin problems.
According to WebMD, research shows that Ultraviolet (UV) exposure accounts for 80% of aging skin. https://www.webmd.com/melanoma-skin-cancer/skin-sun-damage-treatment. Yale Medicine has some excellent fact sheets on photoaging (sun damage). https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/sun-damage
The real “sun-of-a-gun” of skin cancer is the sun, hands down! Wearing the right clothing is one of the best ways to prevent this cancer. It is never too late to start any preventive treatment, regardless of your age.
My Dad lived a good 97 years, and if it wasn’t for his prostate problem and macular degeneration, he probably would have lived past a hundred. Unfortunately, his prostrate doctor misdiagnosed him and never treated his condition. However, his macular degeneration was quite possibly a by-product of his skin cancer. Dad had “squamous” cell carcinoma skin cancer. It’s not as serious as “melanoma”, if kept under control. But, once it gets into the organs, then it’s hopeless.
I took my Dad to an excellent dermatologist, Dr. Alex Carcamo. My advice to anyone seeking a dermatologist is to find one who cares about you, no matter what your problem is because most just want to make money making people look younger and beautiful. My Dad’s first dermatologist was like that and it took me a while to see that we, or my Dad, didn’t quite fit into his ‘ideal’ patient. So, when my daughter told me how her dermatologist cured the rosacea on her face, I decided to make an appointment. That was the best decision I made for my Dad, even though he was already in his 90’s. We learned that the earlier you care for your skin damage, the better your chances in preventing skin cancer.
All my life, I have never known my Dad to wear a hat, use a sunscreen or protective clothing, or wear sunglasses. My Dad was a stubborn man with a hard heart, so if we told him to wear a hat or sunglasses while he was working in the yard, he would yell back at us with, “Shut your mouth!” I love my Dad even though he wasn’t a compassionate man. To say his childhood was hard is an understatement. His parents where a match-made arranged marriage and they disliked each other. Being the first born, my father bore the brunt of their unhappiness for each other. Growing up without love made it difficult for him to show love. So, I understood him and I admired him for working hard to provide for the family and how he sacrificed a lot for his family. He was satisfied and grateful to God for all he had, even though he wasn’t rich by any means. We struggled, but it was a good kind of struggle because it taught me to cherish all that we had. And we made every celebration count with hugs, laughter, good food and lots of good talk.
Living in Hawaii requires everyone to be smart about sun-protection. In my research, I have found some websites that offer some really nice sun-protective attire. Coolibar is one that is recommended by dermatologists. They have daily sale items that offer up to 40% off.
The following websites have some great sun protective attire. They can be quite pricey, so do your research and look for the sales.
1. Coolibar https://www.coolibar.com
2. Solibari https://www.solbari.com
3. Solumbra by Sun Precautions https://www.sunprecautions.com
4. HangTen https://hangten.com/collections/womens-sun-protection
