Dear 16 year old me….
- I wish I could tell you not to be so hard on yourself.
- I wish I could tell you not to be so shy and to be more confident.
- I wish I could tell you that you look beautiful no matter what.
- I wish I could tell you about the importance of sunscreen.
- I wish I could take back all the years I spent in tanning beds.
- I wish I could tell you that lifeguarding might not be the best decision.
- I wish I could tell you to be smarter about the sun.
I realize a lot of people think that I might be a little overly cautious about my time in the sun, but I don’t care. I now have to see my dermatologist every 6 months because of my over-exposure in my teens and early 20s. Yesterday, I had FOUR more suspicious moles removed (to add to my other 20 or so already cut out), but at least I know that they are catching them early. Even if you continue to spend time tanning in the sun, I encourage you to regularly visit the dermatologist. A little extra effort on your part, could prevent a future of skin cancer. Just think about it.
QUESTION: What would you say to the 16 year old you?
I think its important too. When we’re young we think we’re invincible to everything… Don’t want to regret that! I would say to my 16 year old me… Enjoy having no real responsibilities and no, you don’t know everything.
Such an important reminder. I am still not as good as I should be with sunscreen. I am not researching natural sunscreen for my kids (sad we can poison and protect ourselves at one time).
I would tell myself I was beautiful the way I was, pale skin, freckles and all.
Thank you for this!! Skin cancer runs in my family, and I’m due to get moles removed soon as well. You can never be too careful with skin protection!
That;s so scary. I started going to the Dermatologist and being good about it….he wanted to see me every 9 months but I missed my last appt when I got preggo and was sick of going to the doctors every week. I need to get back there because it’s seriously not a joke. I spent SO much time in tanning beds when I was a teen and early 20′s!
What a great post. There is so much I wish I could say to my 16-year-old, insecure, teenage self, but your first two dot points sum up a lot of it. I was so self-critical!
On the sun exposure point…I live in Australia and have fair skin so I whole heartedly support your approach
This is GREAT to get the info out! I ALWAYS wear sunscreen and am so thankful I married a man who stopped “letting” me go tanning even if it was just a couple times a year! Now i can’t believe I did that!
WOW! Scary stuff about your moles. At least they were caught! I am a shade worshiper. I avoid the sun because I have very fair skin. I am also allergic to almost all sun screen. I have been able to use Burt’s Bees, but it is not water proof. I wear long sleeve light weight clothing in the sun to avoid the whole sun screen thing. I also wear a hat with a very wide brim.
I would tell my 16 year old self to not be more accepting of my body. I was in great shape playing soccer and dancing. I always thought I was fat…it didn’t help matters that my super skinny sister who was a runner and a dancer also told me I was fat. Compared to her almost everyone was fat. She was very tiny.
Hi Erin, SUCH important information. Thanks! My Dad and my brother have both been diagnosed with melanoma this year. Both are fine, it was caught early, but I am SOOOOO careful now, and will be for life. As for what I’d tell the 16 year old me?? Follow your passion, don’t take the safe route when it comes to your career. And don’t be scared to make mistakes – that’s how you learn! Have a great day.
UGH! ME TOO! sooooooo important! stupid little girls wanting to be tan!
this video is amazing! i saw it a few months ago.. hit home for sure!! i would say.. stop worrying about what everyone thinks!
Better safe than sorry! you’re not overly-suspicious… just protecting yourself! <3 keep it up girl! I need to start making my derm appointments stat… I did some damage growing up in Florida
i really don’t think you can be too cautious when it comes to skin cancer! i too am very prone to suspicious moles and should be better myself about getting them checked regularly.
Wow
So scary. My dad of all people goes tanning and it makes me so bad…beyond words. It actually just makes me cry. I forwarded this post to him.
To the 16-year-old me I would say to enjoy being 16. You have your whole life to be mature and wise
Gahhh I am alll about embracing the pale skin. My skin is insanely pale and everyone always gives me a hard time but I tell them – no cancer, no wrinkles!
I saw this video the other day and i actually have a post half written up about it:) After watching it i had my boyfriend check all my moles and there are two that i want to have looked at. My grandfather has had cancer removed from his face and both of my parents regularly go in to have moles removed. I use to be cautious but now that i live in Florida, i am less cautious since being tan is so “normal”
Even though my dad’s a dermatologist, I still spent hours in tanning beds from the age of 16-24. Then I began finding suspicious-looking moles on my body, and realized that this vain habit needed to stop. I still enjoy lying in the sun, but I’m much more cautious about it now. Every year, people die of melanoma (including my grandfather), and I’m not going to be one of them.
I would tell the 16-year-old me to stop worrying about what others think. My teen years would have been much more enjoyable if I hadn’t succumbed to high school social pressures! But I truly believe that growing pains are a necessary part of life. Without these tough phases, I wouldn’t have been forced to dig deep and find the confidence that I have today.
Great post and so important to get the word out. I do annual skin checks and have had several “suspicious” spots removed. I would definitely tell my 16 yo self to always wear sunscreen, and spend more time in the shade. I would also say to “relax” about my insecurities, because they will seem so trivial when I get older (or, I will have forgotten them altogether-ha!)
I love this post- and I agree that you really should be so careful about sun exposure! It is just not worth the risks not to be.
I’d tell the 16 year old me to be more confident!
Scratch “the chills.” Hadn’t finished watching it yet. Made me cry.
Great post! Video gave me the chills. Wish I had seen this when I was sixteen! I am always worried. Tanning booths? What was I thinking?
Great advice. I too would’ve been more cautious in the sun. Not as obsessed with boys, followed through with my soccer career, not cared as much about grades…oh the list could go on forever.
Wow! That really hits home to me now that I’m out in the sun every weekend this summer. I’m not sure what I’d tell my 16 year-old me, except that 16 year-old boys are the devil. I think I already knew that though!
Even if you haven’t had moles removed, think about it from vanity’s sake too (that sounds weird, but hear me out). I have olive skin, rarely if ever burn, have never had a suspisious mole/mark, and have not history of cancer in my family. BUT, I did tan too much in my late teens and 20′s and now I have wrinkles on my forehead, which just plain sucks. So even if you think you’re immune to Cancer, you’re not immune to wrinkles — how’s that for a moral of a story ;-P
I love this.
I posted this video on my facebook a few weeks ago.
It speaks to me because I’m super-fair skinned and a redhead! I’ve been told all my life to put on sunscreen, which I did whenever I went swimming (I knew I didn’t tan. Only burn, so I didn’t try to push it too much). I didn’t start wearing sunscreen every day until I was 18, though. And I’ve suffered some pretty serious sunburns in my younger years (not enough sunscreen, not reapplied, or just no sunscreen at all). I try to be conscious of any changes in my skin these days.
I’ve definitely learned over the years to embrace my fair skin. I think that paired with my naturally oily skin will help me age quite well!
This video made me cry the first time I saw it!
I would tell 16 year old me to:
Not take life too seriously and just enjoy being a kid for a while longer
Eat healthy and take up a sport like soccer. Its easier to adopt these habits young
Relax. The boy you like so much does like you and you’ll figure it out 12 years later when you two begin dating and he confesses his past affections.
I would tell 16 year old me to STOP worrying about what other people think. Also, that boys should be the lowest totem of my concerns (if even there at all). And finally, I would repeat the point of this video – I don’t care how hot and skinny you feel when you’re tan…it’s NOT WORTH IT! You will have to spend a LOT of money and worry in about 10 years when you start finding suspicious moles!
Great reminder! I am in the sun so much during the summer…I am already sporting a really dark tan. I forget to wear sunscreen because I don’t burn I just tan. But that is just as dangerous! Thanks for this!!
Thank you for this! Sun exposure is not something to be taken lightly. I’ve never been tanning, but I burn so easily because of my fair skin, and I just was referred to the dermatologist because of a few suspicious moles. I’m so careful about sunblock now.