Hydrating before and during sun exposure, keeping sunburns moist, and learning how to recognize skin cancer: several articles have been published lately to call for awareness for simple actions that can prevent skin cancer, but these are three less obvious and rarely mentioned tips reported on in the media.
International water advocate Sharon Kleyne, host of the Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water and the founder of global research and technology center Bio Logic Aqua Research, recently shared these three tips in a news release.
Because solar and ultraviolet radiation both dehydrate the body and skin, Kleyne recommends drinking extra water before sun exposure, in addition to drinking it after sun exposure, which is recommended by most experts to restore the body’s depleted water supply. This is a particularly important precaution to take since, as Kleyne explains, the dehydrating effects to sun exposure will be intensified it the skin is already dehydrated before being exposed to the sun. The best way to keep hydrated, she adds, is to drink at least eight full glasses of pure fresh water per day, preferably not cold.
Keeping sunburns moist is another important precaution measure to take. According to Kleyne, taking baths or using water mists while the sunburn is healing will not only sooth and cool the skin, as it will speed healing, decreasing the chances of permanent skin cell damage.
Finally, learning how to recognize at least the three major skin cancers — basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma — is a life saving step to take, although there are many other less common types of skin cancer.
Carcinoma occurs most often on the face, hands and arms, Kleyne notes, whereas melanoma most often occurs on the shoulders in men and legs in women, she adds. Furthermore, melanoma tumors tend to be irregularly shaped, multi colored, dark or black in color, rapidly growing and extremely unattractive.
