I received an email the other day from a woman who wrote to thank us for our advice about using sunscreen and the importance of sun protection. We get complimentary messages like this every so often (and they never fail to delight and motivate us), but this one stood out. The timing of the message coinciding with our latest special report on the best sunscreens plus the fact that it’s summer all coalesced and made this email stand out. Why? Because the dear woman who wrote in included a picture of herself after having had a skin cancer removed from her face. As you will see from the photo below (which she graciously granted us permission to as a powerful visual reminder about the importance of sun protection), removing her skin cancer resulted in a scar in a conspicuous place. Here is the note she sent to us, followed by some additional comments from me:

Paula,
I just read your latest report on sun protection and the guide for the best sunscreens. I wish I had had this information years ago when I was in my early 20′s and thought a tan made me look better. Instead, I believed that using sunscreen just kept me from getting a great tan, so I didn’t bother with it.

Needless to say, here I am at age 57 and am paying the price. Just thought I would send you this picture of what I went through a couple months ago having a tiny basal cell carcinoma removed from my face. Now I’m scarred for life. I NEVER go out without applying sunscreen, but the damage is already done. Hopefully I will not have any more of these skin cancers pop up. I take such good care of my skin now; you can tell from my picture (with no makeup on) that I don’t have any wrinkles thanks to what I learned from you. However, I’m so embarrassed now about the scar down the front of my face.

Please keep up the good work of keeping people informed on the need of using a good sunscreen.

Name withheld by request

This woman’s story of regret and what happened to her after years without sun protection should prompt all of us, whether we want to admit or not, to confront the fact that the sun can cause what no one wants to have: cancer. No matter how good the sun feels on a temperate blue-sky day or how gorgeous you think you look with a deep, dark tan, it’s a sobering fact that the sun can (and does) kill us. Of course, simply applying a well-formulated sunscreen rated SPF 15 or above allows us to enjoy the positive aspects of the sun while severely minimizing its potential to cause damage. Personally, I don’t avoid the sun as much as I enjoy it responsibly, like many other things in life.
I want to thank this woman for sharing her story and photo. I hope it resonates with anyone reading this blog who doesn’t use sun protection or, for whatever reason, continues to tan. Skin cancer isn’t the automatic inevitable outcome of sun damage for everyone, but playing roulette with the health and appearance of your skin is not a bet worth making.