BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — You've heard it 100 times... sunscreen is so important to help protect your skin. But once you actually *see* the damage, it may motivate you to listen.
"Taking care of our skin can prevent aging but also help prevent skin cancers," Medical Esthetician for the Healthy Complexion Spa at WNY Dermatology, Kahley Kirisits said.
Skin cancer is the most common cancer and is preventable. If you would like to take a picture like this to show the damage you have lying underneath your skin, you can call for a free consultation. With help from the photo, professionals are able to make a plan for your skin care, to help prevent and fix the damage that's right for you.
Kirisits says we should think of a tan as a scar on our skin.
Here are some of her tips to protect your largest organ, your skin.
- Wear SPF 30-50 sunscreen. Anything higher, Kirisits says, there's added chemicals and the higher the number doesn't add more protection.
- Aerosol sunscreen has a high potency of alcohol in them
- Reapply sunscreen every 2-3 hours
- Buy sunscreen with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, safer minerals instead of the other chemicals
- Sunscreen is just as important in the fall and winter time
- Proper exfoliation to the skin can also help undo the sun damage
"We want preventive aging and we should start in our teens and early 20s to help prevent all this damage from surfacing in our 40s and 50s," Kirisits said.
Kirisits recommends getting a yearly skin check by a dermatologist to make sure all the spots on your skin are not cancerous.
