The Sun Is Shining - Are You Protected?

I know for those of us who live in Canada we have waited patiently for this time to come, it is Spring and the sun is shining brightly and we love being outside. Unfortunately for us, even though vitamin D is much needed, too much  sun exposure can be dangerous. Last year I was quite surprised to discover I had skin cancer on the bridge of my nose. In fact the reason I was at the skin doctors surgery was because of another concern and he assured me my concern was nothing to worry about. He then suggested that a biopsy would be in order because it looked like the red mark that I had had for a few years and could never get rid of might be skin cancer. When I was in my early 20's I suffered severe sunburn all over my body and I decided thereafter to ensure that never happened again. But, like most people, I got lazy and did not always protect myself with adequate sun cream that would block out the harmful ultra violet rays. When  the biopsy results came back that I did indeed have skin cancer on the bridge of my nose I was relieved that all the  tumour had been taken away. If the doctor had not noticed the skin cancer at that time in another couple of years it would have spread across my eye area and, eventually, all over my face. I saw pictures of other people that had happened to and believe me it was not nice to look  at.

So, next time you decide you want to be out in the glorious sunshine cover up, protect yourself, wear sun block and a hat, it is really important. The alternative is, in time, you may be diagnosed with skin cancer and it might not be treatable as mine was, so be proactive and help yourself like I did!