Skin Cancer - When is Too Much Sun Bad for You?

Leviticus 13:28 – If, however, the spot is unchanged and has not spread in the skin but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest shall pronounce them clean; it is only a scar from the burn.

We’re just around the corner from summer. Now is the time to stock up on supplies that can protect your skin. It’s also time to find out when is too much sun bad for you.
 
When I was growing up, no one talked about sunscreen. It was a metal of honor to see which of my friends had the darkest tan. However, in between that tan, in the beginning of summer we all faced sunburn.
 
There were creams and lotions to help the pain of sunburn go away, but what we didn’t know was those sunburns would add up throughout our lives and could cause skin cancer.
 
When my children were growing up, fear of skin cancer caused mothers to splash on sunscreen before letting them go to the local swimming pool or even while playing outside. Sometimes, though, even sunscreen doesn’t protect you from blisters if we stay outside too long. I can remember several times when one of my children took off their shirts and ended up with a massive burn.
 
And for those in my generation, skin cancer is now common. Precancerous spots are frozen off hoping to prevent them turning into cancer. For many though, it can be too little too late.
 
What can blind us from seeing we’re in danger is we may think that it’s safe to go outside without sunscreen when it’s cloudy, but in fact, cloudy days can be the most dangerous time for sunburn.
 
Skincancer.org in their article, “Skin Cancer Prevention,” makes several suggestions on prevention including staying in the shade especially between 10 and 4 pm, don’t get sunburned, avoid tanning and tanning beds, cover up with clothing including a wide brimmed hat and sunglasses and use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF of 15 or higher. Use a stronger sunscreen if you’re going to be outside for an extended amount of time and reapply it every two hours.
 
Find the rest of their suggestions by reading the article above and aad.org in their article, “Prevent Skin Cancer,” which includes a short video on prevention.
 
Some people are afraid of being out in the sun, but with proper protection and paying attention to avoiding staying out in the sun for too long can go a long way in prevention.
 
The Bible verse above was a regulation in the Old Testament about skin diseases. Even then they had burns and skin diseases. God gave them wisdom, at that time, how to deal with burns and God will give us wisdom today to see a doctor if spots appear on our skin. Only a doctor can tell if it’s cancer or not. You may be fearful to see a doctor when you have something unusual on your skin, but don’t be afraid. Get it checked out. It is only then that you will know whether it is cancer or not and how to proceed from there.

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