Sarasota sunshine tips are coming your way. And just in time. The Sun is now increasing its intensity, and we find it both wonderful and terrifying. It is wonderful because it illuminates our incredible beachy Sarasota sun and surf lifestyle. It is terrifying because our Sarasota sunshine has the power to inflict skin cancer on our unsuspecting Sarasota sunshine worshipers. With May 1, we celebrate a Month of skin cancer awareness.
The M & M’s of Sarasota Sunshine
Sarasota Sunshine Tips: May Brings Us Skin Cancer Awareness.
It’s almost May and the ninth will be Mother’s Day, but Altiora adds another “M” for you to remember this spring. M also stands for Melanoma. May is skin cancer awareness month. “With over 5 million cases diagnosed in the United States each year, skin cancer is America’s most common cancer.”
Thus, as you think of the events of our beautiful Sarasota May and Mother’s Day, we want you to sharpen your awareness of the dangers of Melanoma and other skin cancers.
Sarasota Sunshine and Tips: Altiora’s Short List of Skin Protection Tips
As we have done in previous years at Altiora Plastic Surgery & Medspa, we utilize this May blog to bring you simple solutions to save your skin both in the gentle warmth of spring days and scalding days of summer. Altiora reminds you of our all-time Sarasota Strategy for avoided damage to our skin:
“We avoid endangering our skin with the sun now.
Then, by the high heat of summer, we will have created the perfect habits.” Thus, as we schedule our Sarasota swimming, tennis, and other outdoor activities, our finely tuned sun habits will protect us. “We will avoid sun damage to our skin. Now. And later. In the hottest part of the season.”
Strategies to Avoid Sun-Damaged Skin and Skin Cancer
People have long been accustomed to our warnings about melanoma, but our 5 million number above reflects numerous cases of Basal Cell Non-Melanoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma. These are the other, less well-known skin cancers, which the US does not generally track. ( Why? Research is expensive.)
However, we want you to fixate on that 5 million number because skin cancer is a lot more prevalent than the melanoma figures alone reflect.
So how do we get our sunny showers and still avoid these three terrible types of skin cancers? Here are our top tips for Sarasota sunshine protection:
Sarasota Sunshine Tips–Number One is Sunscreen
Sarasota Sunshine is Safer in the Afternoon.
1. Please be sure to wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher that is mineral-based. And remember, if you swim or sweat, you should re-apply it at least every 2 hours.
2.Tip Two from Sarasota Sunshine Tips for Sunshine Protection:
When you are outside, please stay in the shade. No one said this would be easy. We suggest you put an alarm on your Smartphone or your watch. Altiora states, “Sarasota Clock Watchers, please pay attention: Stay out of the sun when it is strongest (between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.) Even during safer hours, you can also use your beach umbrella as more than an icon of the Summer.”
3. Our Third Tip for Sarasota Sunshine Warnings: Beware the Indoor Sun.
Do not walk, run—away from tanning beds, booths, and sunlamps. Did you know indoor sunlight targets direct ultraviolet radiation on your skin?
The CDC states, “Indoor tanning has been linked with skin cancers including melanoma (the deadliest type of skin cancer), squamous cell carcinoma, and cancers of the eye (ocular melanoma).”
4. The Protective Sarasota Sunshine Fashion Parade: Altiora’s Stylish Advice for Spring and Summer Clothes and Our Tip Number Four
We totally agree with the Skin Cancer Foundation’s recommendations for covering up with loose clothing, wide-brimmed hats, and UV-blocking sunglasses when you are in the sun.
If you live in Sarasota, we know you’ll probably be spending some time here near Altiora Plastic Surgery & Medspa at St. Armands Circle selecting a perfect swimsuit. It might seem unusual in the midst of a skin cancer awareness blog, but we actually have some fashion advice for spring, Mother’s Day, and summer.
We have seen some delicious, gauzy long skirts. Also trending are sweeping palazzo pants and bell-sleeved swimsuit cover-ups. And they are not springtime pastel. They are available in jewel-tone colors for spring and summer. You see, darker colors offer us more protection from the harmful rays of the sun. Altiora Plastic Surgery & Medspa invites you to invest in your skin by protecting it with one of these chic garments for your beach adventures.
(Okay, we confess: Of course our point here is not really style. We are concerned about the critical importance of protecting the exposed parts of your skin, especially during the times of the day when you are most endangered. )
Special Sarasota Sunshine Honors for Mother’s Day
Say Happy Mother’s Day By Slathering On the Obagi Skin Protector and Following Our Own Sarasota Sun Protection Tips.
No matter what you are wearing, we want you to slather your skin with our favorite sun protector. Just ask us about our Obagi Physical Defense SPF 40 and SPF 50 sunscreens. Both contain Zinc and Titanium. Both formulas provide advanced protection from both UVA and UVB sun rays. Plus they each include antioxidants that defend skin against HEV, VIS, and IR rays. And in honor of Mothers everywhere, we are taking 10 percent off the price.
So we suggest you stop in and purchase one for mom for her Special Mother’s Day–all month long–May 1- May 31–and one for yourself. Happy Mother’s Day Month to all our Sarasota mothers and their mothers!
