Girl Talk: Skin Care Version 2.0

Y'all know I'm a fan of sunscreen.

You also know I hate tanning beds.

When given the opportunity to participate in a link-up

that will possibly open the eyes of other young women,

you know I have to do it.

Plus, I can never turn down an opportunity for girl talk!

1) What's your daily skincare routine?

     I wash my face twice a day with Clearasil Daily Face Wash. My skin is super sensitive and it's the only face wash that doesn't cause me to break out in a rash. I've tried...trust me! ;-)  Depending on what my skin is doing that day--it goes from kind-of oily to dry--I apply DDF weightless defense oil-free hydrator that has SPF 45 and Ole Henrisken Total Truth eye creme. I fell in love with Ole Henrisken after the eye creme was included in the Skin Cancer Foundation's goodie bags at the gala!

2) A skin product you could never live without?

    Sunscreen. My doctors would probably personally kill me if I showed up in their offices with a sunburn! Oh, and face wash...I can't sleep until the make-up and yuckiness of the day is off my face!

3) Have you ever used a tanning bed?

   Yes, I loved being tan. I started tanning when I was 14 and continued to tan before all major events until I was 21. The last event I tanned for was my college graduation. When I met my oncologist for the first time he said I was not the typical melanoma patient. I have no family history, I have dark hair and dark eyes, and I do not have a history of bad sunburns. 

Then the convo went like this:

Oncologist: "Do/did you use tanning beds?"

Me: "Yes."

Oncologist: "Ah..."

Ironically, I stopped tanning at age 21 when I realized it wasn't worth the risks. Sadly, I had already done the damage and was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma at age 23.

The Tanning Days

The Cancer Days

4) Thoughts on spray tanning?

    It isn't for me. Having said that, I would much rather my friends go get spray tanned than step foot in a tanning bed! I feel like going to get a spray tan after everything I have been through and will continue to go through for the rest of my life totally goes against the message I'm trying to share. Plus, haven't you heard, "Simply put, paleness equals class. And it's sexy."

5) Favorite brand on sunscreen?

   I'm a big fan of Aveeno. It's great for my sensitive skin!

6) Biggest skincare splure?

    I use Bare Minerals so I do splurge on that every few months. I don't mind spending money on quality products. I've been lucky that I've been able to try a lot of high priced items firsthand before actually purchasing them! I will definitely buy Ole Henriksen's Total Truth again and again!

7) Celebrity with the most perfect skin?

     Have you seen the celebrities lately? The majority of them have stunning-PALE-skin! 

8) Feature you're most self-conscious about?

   Probably my teeth! I can tell they are shifting!

9) What do you think about botox?

     I make 1030232 facial expressions per day.  already have laugh lines. They remind me of happy moments. Ask me again in 10 more years! Ha! 

10) I feel most confident when...

    I'm wearing a tiara! Duh!

             (Thanks, Rev. Carol!)

"Melanoma Survivor...

And I plan on staying one!"

   

I hope you'll link-up and share your skin care routines too!

http://shadesofgrayandapinchofpink.blogspot.com/2013/01/how-wrinkly-will-your-skin-be.html

Live in Roanoke

The interview that I participated in

yesterday with our local 

WSLS Channel 10

was posted on their website tonight

after it aired on the 6 pm and 7 pm news!

Please watch and let me know what you think!

http://www2.wsls.com/news/2012/sep/05/younge-roanoke-woman-helps-change-face-skin-cancer-ar-2181357/ 

My favorite parts from the interview:

1) There was a sun safety commercial on before my part.

2) I realized how true it is: I am going to be a cancer patient forever...

All because I wanted a tan...

a tan that fades.

3) Lindsey said the interview caused her to think differently

about sunbathing and the need for a dermatologist.

4) Statistics were shared.

The shirts that were sold as a benefit in April 2011

 Again, I owe Lindsey Ward of WSLS a huge thank you for allowing  me to share my story.

Lindsey and the awesome cameraman  (whose name I am forgetting--Mike? Mark? I'm sorry! I thought you were awesome!)

You both rock!

Dear Miss Chelsea

Picture

Have you watched Dear 16-Year-Old Me? 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4jgUcxMezM&feature=share

Seriously, you need to watch this video. Then you need to immediately share it on Facebook, Twitter, and email it to your loved ones. It's a MUST see and a MUST share. 

I had to ask myself, what would I tell the 16-year-old Chelsea?

* You are 16, little girl. Not 25.

* Don't quit cheerleading just because you transferred schools. 

* Listen to your older sister. She has been there.

* Pay attention to that psychology teacher who believed in you enough to add you to her class a year early.

* There is no hiding your first hangover from your parents.

* Next time someone asks, "Do you ever see the sunlight?" don't feel offended. Your skin is beautiful.

* Be a kid.

* Your little sister looks up to you. Be careful.

* Those hours on ICQ and AIM leave wonderful memories; however, they don't help with you SAT score.

* Embrace the flat iron, or don't cut your hair that short. It's curly. It shrinks.

* Dump him. Life is too short to date a bully.

* Eyebrow waxing is a wonderful thing. 

* Your parents aren't the enemies.

* Don't stop running. It is the one part of PE class you're good at.

* Mental Health days end up being awesome memories. (Just don't take too many of them!)

* That girl who picks on you and puts gum in your hair? Ignore her. It isn't worth it. 

* I know the beach is fun. Enjoy it. Add sunscreen.

* Spend as much time on your homework as you do writing notes to your girlfriends.

* When a stranger tells you to go have a mole checked, go.

* Keep your childhood friends close to you. However, know that people change. Accept it without allowing it to ruin the friendship.

* Stay out of the freaking tanning bed. You knooooow it isn't good for you.

* Listen to your daddy. Stop rushing through life.

* Your pale skin and dark hair make you stand out. Embrace them.

 

Pinterest 

What would YOU tell your 16-year-old self?

Self

I get a lot of joy when I read articles in magazines regarding the dangers of skin cancer. A lot of the information that is out there is only shared within the Melanoma community, so it is a nice change when I see an article in a magazine that caters to every day women.

Self posted a good article for those not yet residents of Hotel Melanoma. The article discusses how the rise in melanoma is an epidemic. They interviewed Marina Peredo, M.D., F.A.A.D, Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and founder of Marina I. Peredo, M.D., P.C. Dermatology and Spatique Medical Spa in Smithtown, N.Y, who believes tanning beds are as dangerous as smoking and unprotected sex.

The article goes on to list ways to protect yourself from skin cancer. Read list here.

My favorite quote from the entire article is this, "With melanoma, the difference between life and death is early detection," she says. "A lot of people think, 'Maybe if I ignore it, it will go away.'" No. "If something looks unusual or different -- get it checked. A lot of the time it's nothing, but that's OK! Don't be scared of the unknown," says Dr. Peredo. "But if you do find that something is wrong, get it off your body."

That is advice we need to share, folks.

Share it.

Remember, May begins Skin Cancer Awareness month. How are you going to raise awareness?

Don't forget to find me on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/AdventuresWithMyEnemyMelanoma

Kidding, but Not Kidding.

Just read this on Twitter (Follow me-- Melanoma_Diva--I'm still learning!)

"Half the girls in this school won't even be at the high school reunion in 20 years because they'll have died of skin cancer. #kiddingbutnotkidding."

Now, let me ask you, if your teenager is not allowed to smoke, why should they be able to tan?


Let's fix this before more young folks join us in Hotel Melanoma.

"Skanky Bitches."

I have been gossiped about a lot in my 24 years. No surprise there since I am from a small peninsula and I used to date a lot of dudes who were mentioned in the gossip grapevine frequently. What I am trying to say is that I have heard a lot of amusing stories and assumptions about myself, some true, some totally so far fetched that they still cause me to chuckle. However,  I heard one today that I just have to share with you.

My friend travels for a living and he was at a client's house this afternoon when he noticed a tanning bed. He casually mentions how unsafe tanning beds are for us. The client responded, and I quote, a tanning bed is "safer than natural sunlight."

(Ha. I would bet she heard that from her local tanning salon.)

Anywho, my friend immediately started telling this client about me and how I have stage III melanoma. Instead of offering sympathy or concern, this woman says, "Oh. She was probably one of those skanky bitches who abused it by going all the time."

That's a pretty big assumption, lady. 

I have never denied my tanning bed use. I wanted to be pretty, and I associated being pretty as being tan. However, I have always said I only went to a tanning bed before major events like prom, graduations, and vacations. I never went "all the time." I was never the girl with the constant bronzed skin. In fact, I was quite the opposite. Ha. Now that I am thinking about it, I remember sitting at a bar, and a dude said to me, "Do you ever go out in the sun?" Yeah, I was typically the ghost girl.

Yet, I am the girl--the first out of all of my tanning bed obsessed friends--who received the advanced melanoma diagnosis at only 23.

Today I read this article titled, "I wish I wouldn't have cared so much about being tan." The article focuses on pending laws in Missouri and Illinois that would restrict tanning for teens. In Missouri, the law will force parents to sign the necessary forms prior to their children being allowed to tan. In Illinois, the law would prevent teens from tanning at all.


Dr. Lynn Cornelius, chief of dermatology at Washington University School of Medicine, said in the article that she has recently diagnosed a lot of women in their 20s with melanoma. The article says that when Cornelius questions the women about their tanning habits, "the number using tanning beds is 80 (percent) to 90 percent of them," she said. "It's just alarming."

Don't let this:

Turn you into this:

Oh, and for the record ma'am, I may be a bitch, but I certainly am not a skanky bitch. ;-)

Adjusting Sails

This is my new motto.

I left the apartment today for the first time since Saturday. I am feeling a little better, but I really beat after a very busy day at work. I saw this on pinterest and I knew I needed to share it.

Oh, check out this article that Time Magazine posted. It discusses why teenagers are so obsessed with tanning. Time quoted one girl saying something that came from my mouth many years ago, ""It may make my skin wrinkle a little bit earlier, but I'm going to look good while I can."

Oh, honey. I hope you learn before it is too late.

PARENTS, would you let your teenagers smoke? No? Don't let them tan either. Take action.

A Tan Shouldn't Define You

Sometimes I think Youtube is ridiculous. There are so many pointless videos that most of us never need to see. Then there are videos like these that are worth sharing with all of your friends and family---especially the young kids.

If we tell 10 teenagers that they could die from skin cancer, most of them would forget about us by the end of the day. If they see a beautiful young girl crying over having to tell her mom that she has melanoma, they will remember.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEjhgNkpoSk&sns=fb

Share it, share it, share it.

I would much rather have a painful surgery than have to to go back in time and tell my family that I have advanced melanoma. That, my friends, was the worst.

Protect the skin you're in.