Earlier this year, I made a promise to myself that I would schedule an appointment with a dermatologist.  After all, as I have shared with you before in The Flame, my childhood vacations on the beach at Wildwood, NJ were often marred with an enthusiastic sunburn.  And it's also quite likely that years of playing sports outside in the sun didn't help.     

Good thing I kept my promise. I saw the dermatologist and she took a little snippet of skin for a biopsy. Turns out that those little spots on my nose are basal cell skin cancers.   

I wasn't that surprised. (OK, maybe a little bit.) But I knew it probably wasn't good news when the dermatologist tried to reach me two days in a row and each message said, "I'd like to talk to you about your biopsy results." Truth is, many of my older family members also had skin cancers. Guess I have that "luck" of the fair-skinned Irish!   

So I'm scheduled for MOHS surgery in July. I'm hoping that it's not that deep of a lesion and that the specially-trained MOHS physician will get clear margins quickly and easily.   

In the meantime, and even afterward, I'll be slathering sunscreen on each time I'm riding my bike, playing tennis, or sitting on the beach.  Come to think of it, so should you!   

Being out in the sun can be fun, but you must also know that it has its downsides, too. This month's issue of The Flame offers 12 tips for being safe in the sun this summer!   

5.  Babies under six months old should never be exposed to the sun.  Their skin is not yet protected by melanin.  

6.  Babies older than six months should be protected from the sun and wear UV-blocking sunglasses to protect their eyes.  

9.  Ingredients matter. Avoid the sunscreen chemical oxybenzone, a synthetic estrogen that penetrates the skin and contaminates the body. Look for active ingredients zinc, titanium, avobenzone or Mexoryl SX. These substances protect skin from harmful UVA radiation and remain on the skin, with little if any penetrating into the body.