Stay out of the sun
I am a fair-skinned dude, thanks to my Polish heritage, and I grew up in a time when sunscreen was for the weak. I’ve gotten more serious sunburns than I can count, and, just like all the noise my parents subjected me to over the years gave me tinnitus (thanks for making me mow the lawn, Dad), the consequences of those sunburns have manifested themselves as I get older.
At this point, I’m at the dermatologist two or three times a year. I have to get full-body scanned every twelve months, and I’ve had a ton of things frozen off, cut off, or closely monitored. Skin cancer is nothing to fool with, and I beg of you people out there: if you don’t use sunscreen, start.
Did we know about skin cancer back in the day? Sure, but the attitude was like, “It’s on your skin. So what?” Illnesses like lung cancer weren’t even taken seriously, so a few nasties on your skin were no big deal. We now know (or we should) that skin cancer is one of the most pernicious cancers you can get. Treatment is complex, and mortality is shockingly high.
Am I in danger of dying? Not just yet. At least, not from skin cancer. But that doesn’t mean I can traipse around in the sun, with protection or not. I don’t go into the sun. In fact, I cover practically every inch of my skin, and maybe you should, too.