Home Care in Palm Beach County FL
While you are observing Skin Cancer Awareness Month this May, it is important to learn not just about the cancer itself and how to detect it, but also how to prevent it. The single most important thing that you can do to help avoid your parent experiencing skin cancer is to encourage the regular and proper use of sunscreen. Approximately 90 percent of cases of non-melanoma and 86 percent of cases of melanoma skin cancer can be directly related to exposure to the ultraviolet radiation of the sun. By using sunscreen regularly you can cut this risk by up to 50 percent. It is important to realize that just making sunscreen a part of your regular home care efforts is not enough to feel confident your parent is protected. You must know that you are using sunscreen properly and effectively. This will ensure that your aging loved one is getting the maximum benefit from their sun protection. Use these tips to help ensure the proper use of sunscreen throughout Skin Cancer Awareness Month and the rest of the year:• Check the expiration date. Many people do not realize that sunscreen has an expiration date and that it is important that you follow that date. After that date the effectiveness of the product is reduced and cannot be accurately relied upon to offer protection. If you are like many people, you likely tuck away a tube of sunscreen along with your beach bag at the end of the summer season and then when you pull it out again the next year, you simply use it without thinking about it. This could be putting your aging parent at increased risk. Make sure that you check the expiration date on any sunscreen product that you use and discard any that has expired.
• Select the right type. There is not just one kind of sunscreen. Choosing the kind that is best for your aging parent can help not only ensure proper compliance, but the greatest effectiveness and lowest risk of unpleasant side effects. Sunscreen tailored for the face, for example, tends to be lighter weight that those designed for the body. This makes them easier to apply and reduces the chances of getting them in the eyes or the mouth. Spray options may be helpful, but it is important that you apply them properly and ensure that they cover all of the skin without creating a cloud that your parent could inhale.
• Apply on time. Sunscreen is not effective immediately upon application. It needs at least 30 minutes to sink into the skin and begin providing protection. Make sure that your parent applies sunscreen before leaving the home when they are going to be outside. This should not just be limited to when they will be spending long stretches outside. Instead, they should wear sunscreen daily to protect against even short exposures to the sun. Make sure that they reapply after spending more than two hours in the sun, after sweating excessively, or after getting wet or toweling off.
• Apply thoroughly. For best results, encourage your parent to apply sunscreen while undressed. This will ensure that they get the sunscreen over all of their skin, providing protection in the event that their clothing shifts or the sun gets through the fibers and impacts the skin. Source http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/skin-cancer-facts
If you or an aging loved one are considering home care in Palm Beach County, FL, contact the caring staff at BrightStar Care of Jupiter. Call today (561) 741-1200.