Are You A Baseball Player? You Need To Watch Out For Skin Cancer
If you play baseball, you likely spend a lot time out in the sun practicing and playing your games. In most cases, ball fields do not have much shade, as trees are often not planted near them because the leaves and other debris would drop onto the fields. This exposure to the sun can be harmful as it can lead to skin cancer. Below are some tips on protecting yourself from this disease, as well as watch to watch for in case you get it.
Protect Yourself
Make sure you put plenty of sunscreen on before you start practicing or playing you games. Because you will likely sweat, reapply more sunscreen throughout the game. Spray sunscreen is much easier and quicker to put on. They also make small travel size sunscreens that you could put inside your softball bag so you always have it on hand.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, you should use a sunscreen that has an SPF of 30 or higher. The sunscreen should also be broad spectrum so it protects you from both UVB and UVA rays.
Apply the sunscreen a few minutes before the game so it has time to absorb into your skin. Apply the sunscreen anywhere you have exposed skin, including your ears, face, and neck.
Diagnose Skin Cancer
Skin cancer can get very serious if it is not taken care of soon. For this reason, look over your body every night and look for any changes in your moles or other areas that look strange to you. Even if you just think you may see something odd, get it checked out. The doctor can take a small biopsy of the area and send it off to a lab to see if it is positive for skin cancer. They may simply cut a small piece away or shave across the area with a type of razor to the get the sample. If the doctor thinks the skin cancer has spread, they may order a CT scan or an MRI to look more closely.
How the doctor will treat your skin cancer depends on how long you have had it. They may be able to simply remove it from your skin and keep an eye on it. In other cases you will need to have skin cancer surgery to remove more of your skin and then get radiation. Your doctor will go over the treatment options with you. They may need to be aggressive with your treatment to keep it from spreading to other areas of your body.
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