Happy End of Summer to all my Multi-Tasking Moms!

Last chance to soak up some rays? I am not a big sun lover, but living in Florida, it’s hard to not be in the sun at some point each day. I like to exercise outside, plus I am driving a lot these days, so I get my fair share of sun exposure.

Though I do use sunblock every day on both myself and my son, I haven’t always been so smart. Like most of my peers, I did my share of tanning (both indoor and outdoor) as a teen, and I only learned of the importance of diligent sun protection in recent years.

Recently, I had a skin check (which derms recommend each year), and I had three “suspicious” moles removed. After sweating it out for nearly a week, I got the call that all is well. Whew! But during that time, I did a lot of thinking about how I would ramp up my efforts moving forward and how I wished that my mom had known to start protecting me as a child.  Here’s what I’m doing on normal mornings:

First, I use a broad spectrum sunblock from hairline to braline, including over my ears and even behind them.  One of my moles was actually behind my ear, and I realized that you actually do get a lot of exposure there when you’re a driver or a passenger in a car.  Then, I spray a high SPF sunblock to my arms and the backs of my hands (important for driving.) I re-apply to my hands every time I’m in the care with the handy travel-sized bottle that I keep there.  If I’m going to be outside in sandals, I also cover my feet well in SPF.  Note: I do use a self-tanner so I can have a little glow without the stress of sun damage!

Next, I apply sunscreen to my son’s face, ears, arms and hands. We call it his “dots”, and he helps rub them in. And he is so accustomed to it that he reminds me if we haven’t done his dots yet! That will serve him well later, I hope. At school, he has a spray sunblock, which his teach re-applies before afternoon play time. I am unapologetic for adding this to her task list, and you should feel the same. One blistering sun burn as an infant can increase the odds of developing melanoma later in life. Just do it!

What I have learned recently is that skin cancer is not always easy to spot, and certain types can look like an ordinary pimple or skin irritation. A site that I found helpful in my search was http://www.skincancer.org/.  It’s a scary site name, but there is a lot of info on all kinds of sun protection for adults and kids.

From now on, I am going to get a skin check each September. To my thinking, it’s just like getting a pap smear (sorry, guys!) You do it so you know that all is well, then you move on until the next year. If you find something, you nip it in the bud, and it doesn’t develop further.

Protect yourself and your kids! It’s one less thing to worry about later.