'Tis The Season

Melanoma Awareness is in the air! Ever since Tan Mom made her way into the headlines last spring, I have noticed more magazines mentioning the dangers of tanning. Sometimes it's a blurb in the skin care section, other times it's in the celebrity gossip area, and sometimes there are times when magazines will have full articles! Speaking of which, have you picked up Glamour's May edition? It's AWESOME.

 

I'm telling ya, this is a must read! Go pick up your copy today.

My point is, with the warm weather we are beginning to experience, people are talking about tanning. Some are talking about the need to tan, others are reminding people not to tan! Just search on Twitter, you will see both sides.

Just yesterday I was tagged in a post on Twitter by a fellow blogger. I am always a little nervous about Twitter because I have some tanning bed lovers who sometimes like to start Twitter wars. I was pleasantly surprised when I began reading "A Rant."  Helene doesn't blog about melanoma in her free times, her blog isn't dedicated to melanoma awareness, and she has a lot of followers who probably still believe in the 'healthy glow.' She risked losing followers last night with her post on tanning. What has made her so sensitive to this topic? Her dad has melanoma.

I was so impressed with Helene's courage to share her "rant" knowing that tanning is still a subject that makes folks a little defensive. I noticed she had a lot of comments on her post so I had to read them. I quickly realized how much has changed in just the 2 years since I have battled melanoma. People are (slowly) realizing that the fake and bake lifestyle is a thing of the past! I was SHOCKED how many people commented with opinions similar to mine. Usually it's the opposite. These aren't melanoma warriors, these are young women! Go Helene for sharing her words. I bet she had no idea how many people would relate!

Bring on warmer weather...and melanoma awareness!