Beyond the Diagnosis: A Melanoma Warrior's Voice Part 3

A tan isn’t a glow—it’s your skin raising the alarm. We sit down with runner and melanoma survivor Leah Adams to unpack the myths behind tanning culture and why sun damage is cumulative at any age. From social pressure to trending tan lines, we explore how beauty standards clash with biology—and what it really means to protect your skin.

Leah shares a realistic, outdoor-friendly routine: broad-spectrum SPF 30–50, proper reapplication, and simple add-ons like UPF clothing and shade. We break down common sunscreen mistakes, better formulas for every skin tone, and the truth about vitamin D. You don’t have to give up the sun—you just need a plan that works.

Transcript

Welcome And Patient Perspective

SPEAKER_01 0:00

I had to learn a lot about sun protection after melanoma because, you know, especially maintaining the lifestyle. One thing that I didn't really learn about until after melanoma was ultra-protective factor clothing, UPF clothing. That was something new to me and really piqued my interest. But what a lot of people don't know is the appropriate way to use spray sunscreen. So one of the biggest like trigger points for me is if I'm out on vacation and I see, you know, moms spraying down their kids. I always say melanoma prevention is a lot cheaper than melanoma treatment. And take it from a survivor and a daughter of a stage four.

SPEAKER_00 0:40

Welcome to Dermot Trotter, Don't Swear About Skin Care, where host Dr. Shannon C. Trotter, a board-certified dermatologist, sits down with fellow dermatologists and skincare experts to separate fact from fiction and simplify skincare. Let's get started.

Meet Leah: Runner And Survivor

SPEAKER_02 0:58

Welcome to the Dermot Trotter Don't Swear About Skin Care podcast. We're continuing sort of our patient perspectives, you know, approach where I'm bringing you information from patients or the public, just like yourself, listeners out there that have gone through something skin related to share your perspectives and to have some discussion about it. On today's podcast, I have Leah Adams, an avid runner. She's also a melanoma survivor and the daughter of a stage four melanoma warrior. She's back on the podcast today to talk a little bit about some protection practices, because I feel like this is sometimes where I'm always in a debate with a patient about what they might be doing and what we think actually might be the right way to protect yourself from the sun. And so I brought Leah back to kind of share her perspective and to give you guys a little bit of, you know, just to take on what do people think about the recommendations we make with tanning sunscreen, the whole kit and caboodle for sun protection. So welcome back on the podcast, Leah.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

Thank you for having me. I love this little series we're doing.

The Real Cost Of Tanning

SPEAKER_02 1:57

It's a lot of fun because, you know, it's obviously great to get skin information where we talk about it from kind of, you know, just the basic science and kind of, you know, what's out there, what's new, latest and greatest. But what's nice about this is I think it really brings the practical nature to it because, you know, when you've been to the dermatologist, and obviously as a melanoma survivor, they're hitting hard with you some protection, you know, left and right. And you've admitted, just like myself, um, we did visit the tanning bed back in the day. So we've had some extra exposure that we wish we could take back, but as we know, neither here nor there now, uh, you just have to kind of learn to move forward from that. But wouldn't you like to tell people that you might, I don't know, have a conversation with a friend who even knows you have melanoma? And I see this happen all the time. And I've even had patients diagnosed with melanoma that continue to tan. What would you say to them about, you know, what you think about tanning and the dangers of indoor sunbed use?

SPEAKER_01 2:51

I would tell them that a tan is your skin crying for help because a tan is damaged skin. And it's to the point where it's quite literally changing like parts of your DNA. Like it's it's very serious. And while you know, a tan may feel good or it may look good, there are so many other safer options for a tan that come from a bottle and can have a very similar impact or effect. And I can't take back all of my past, you know, sons, son, uh, I always say sun safety. It wasn't sun safe back then. My past sun behaviors. Take off sun sins. Yeah, I can't take back my sun sins. But what I can do is, you know, move forward in a smarter, safer, and healthier way. And, you know, for me, that is staying out of tanning beds. It's not laying out in the sun. If I want an extra glow, I either get a professional spray tan or I get a bottle and do it myself. Um, or I just embrace my natural skin tone and who I am because that is when you're most beautiful, when you are your truer self. And yeah, tanning beds, they're they're really harmful. I mean, there's a reason why you sign your life away before you get into one. There's a reason why there's a giant warning label on those machines. And it's something I looked at all of the time. Um, just like there's a warning label on cigarettes, just like there's a warning label on alcohol, those warning labels are there for a reason. But at the time when you're using those tanning beds, you're really thinking about achieving that final outcome, right? Which is that tan and that glow. And most certainly when I was at the age of using tanning beds, you're never thinking that melanoma could be a part of your story at the age of 26 years old. So that's kind of my thought around tanning and how it can be extremely harmful and even addicting.

Why Tanning Feels Addictive

SPEAKER_02 5:01

Yeah, I think the addicting nature that you mentioned is important to bring up because a lot of people don't realize like how I think it makes them feel, right? You know, they go into a tanning bed and we've talked with a lot of patients here that yeah, they might tan because they get a little bit of that nice brown glow. They feel like it makes them look better, healthier. You know, I I have one of my tell me, you know, it camouflages my cellulite, my fat. Like I feel thinner when I'm tan. Like I definitely feel different when I have kind of my piecedy white skin. And then I've also talked with some people that they said, you know, I tan because it's kind of my zen, it's my meditation. I get 20 minutes. The the comment she made to me was, no husband, no children. It's quiet and it's warm. And and I said, wow, I mean, it's kind of one of those things you think about people tan for different reasons. There's been studies that have looked at this, and luckily I was able to convince her, you know, over time that, well, instead of tanning, maybe if we substituted that for hot yoga or, you know, maybe going to Starbucks and having a cup of coffee, reading a book, just giving you that time and self-care. Because that's actually been a trend. I don't know if you've seen this on social media, but I was reading a couple articles that Gen Z now can look at tanning. They look at it as self-care, sort of ignoring all the risk associated with it as well. And so I'm, you know, really concerned about this trend. And I do notice that some people do kind of admit, but not realizing it first, like, yeah, I guess I am kind of doing it because it is a little something for me. But I think if we can just provide, you know, alternate things for people to do that still give them that same, you know, sort of benefit that they're really looking for, it definitely could be a game changer for tanning.

Trends, Tan Lines, And Beauty Standards

SPEAKER_01 6:37

Absolutely. And the you talk about trends right now at Gen Z, Dr. Trotter, one of the most concerning things that I'm seeing and also confusing at the same time, is that tan lines are now back in, which they never were in when I was growing up. That's the whole reason why I went to tanning beds. So I didn't have tan lines. And so that really frightens me. And, you know, nowadays, if you're seeing, you know, influencers online doing one thing and influencing young women and men, I mean, that will impact our future generations because as you and I both know, Dr. Trotter, that, you know, sun damage is cumulative. Your skin remembers all of that sun damage and skin damage that is happening to you. And with our skin being our largest organ, you're doing the most damage to the largest organ. And that's that's concerning. So, you know, skin cancer, it's one of the most preventable cancers. And so, you know, if we really kind of reframed in our society of what was beautiful or what was acceptable, we could maybe influence people to take care of their skin and embrace just who they are. Because I know from my perspective, I can't speak for your perspective, Dr. Trotter, when you use tanning beds, but I was achieving something or trying to achieve something that I was not. I was not tan, I was very pale. Um, and I thought that, you know, I had to achieve this standard of beauty as a woman in the world. And that, you know, I achieved it, but I also got melanoma. So at what cost are we willing to do this to ourselves and our health?

SPEAKER_02 8:22

Yeah. And I think too, when when I went tanning, it was just the social event. You know, I remember my friends going. It was kind of, you know, a Sunday thing, and we would all go to brunch or lunch afterward. And you kind of didn't want to not go because you missed out, even though you obviously weren't together in the tanning bed. It was that social interaction of oh, yeah, we're all gonna go and hang out. Just like I have friends that they said, you know, when I stopped smoking, I stopped finding out about things going on in the office. Because when everyone went out on their smoke break, like that's when you found out about the gossip, but then that's when some of the deals first struck. And one of my friends said, Yeah, she's like, My friend, he got the promotion. I think it's because he went out with the boss and smoked every smoke break. And I said, Wow, that's like an impact you don't think about, right? Like on some of the things we do that unite us that maybe aren't the safest or the smartest, but you can see why some people might push themselves to do that. And honestly, that's sort of what I was doing for a while. I just wanted to hang out with my friends. And eventually I really just didn't tan and it's costly. And so that kind of swayed my decision. I just met them up for lunch later. So it worked out okay in the end. But yeah, I think highlighting that for patients, you know, and for people out there, that there's no such thing as a safe tan, right? As you mentioned, the whole reason your skin is tanning is to protect itself from the very ultraviolet light that it's actually getting. And all of us just have different capacities to tan. Some of us can tan very well, and that's really determined by our genetics. Others of us just simply burn. Some people burn, then tan. And some people go out and they rarely burn, they get that immediate darkening. And so all that is sort of unfortunately dictated by genetics, but it's all, you know, meant to protect your skin further from the very ultraviolet light it's getting. So I think when people kind of get that, they're like, oh, even though this looks great, at what expense, right? If I'm really increasing my risk for skin cancer. And some people it's more motivating to say, well, you're also increasing your risk for premature aging, fine lines, wrinkles, brown spots, all the things that people come in later on in life for us to fix too. And I hate to say you would think the skin cancer would be the most motivating factor. But unfortunately for people, sometimes the cosmetic pushes them a little bit more because nobody thinks they're going to get skin cancer, right? Or melanoma. They just don't think it's gonna happen to them. So I do think the tanning piece, you know, is a little concerning where I think we've had some great education on it. But yeah, watching what's happening now, tan lines and self-care through tanning, not a great idea. Not a great idea, as we know. And so, you know, tanning is definitely one piece of the puzzle that we know. And people going inside using indoor tanning beds. What types of things have you kind of learned through your journey? Maybe about sunscreens or other sun protection measures, you're like, oh, I didn't even realize that that was accurate or a thing. Maybe some myths that you actually kind of encountered, or maybe your dermatologist you read online kind of busted for you.

Building A Smarter Sun Routine

SPEAKER_01 11:06

Yeah. So I had to learn a lot about sun protection after melanoma because, you know, especially maintaining the lifestyle I was maintaining of being an outdoor runner and, you know, being a golfer and a hiker and going kayaking. I didn't want melanoma to stop me from living my life outdoors. So I had to navigate how to do that, but do it in a smart, safe, and healthy way. So I really just started dabble dabbling with like a bunch of different sunscreens, whether it was chemical sunscreen or mineral sunscreen, um, and finding, you know, which one worked best for me and my lifestyle. And I use both, chemical and mineral. I know that that's a big debate in a lot of different communities or on social media, but you know, my thing is, you know, no matter what sunscreen you're wearing, all that matters is that you're wearing one that you remember to wear every day and reapply and one that you like to wear. Don't force yourself to wear something if you don't like it. We're now in a time where there is sunscreen from all different brands, all different types, creams, sprays. Now it's being um implemented into makeup. Um, so you know, there's so many different ways uh to try out sunscreen. One thing that I didn't really learn about until after melanoma was ultra-protective factor clothing, UPF clothing. That was something new to me and really piqued my interest because wearing that type of clothing, it's very similar to wearing sunscreen, yet it doesn't rub off, it doesn't wash off, and you don't have to reapply it because you're, you know, as long as you're wearing it, it's protecting you. Um, and I kind of have gotten into a groove of using sunscreen and protective clothing and using it together. I find that to be the best duo. Um, and what's really nice now too is, you know, just like sunscreen, we're also now in a age where there's so many different brands of protective clothing that's protecting you from the sun, whether it's active clothing, um, resort wear, everyday wear, um, different hats. Like there's really, really great options for all ages, even different swimwear brands and making different types of swim pieces for really just meeting people where they're at as far as what they're comfortable with. Like there are people that, you know, have had melanoma that will not wear a two-piece bathing suit or bikini ever again. And that's totally their prerogative and totally their preference. Um, and they just wear long sleeve one pieces or maybe two pieces. I, again, kind of going back to the mentality of not letting melanoma stop me from doing what I want or love. I still wear bikinis or two pieces. I just wear a lot of sunscreen, a hat, usually seek shade, and have a like a cover-up or a beach wrap with me too. Um, it's also kind of making yourself feel quote unquote still normal, even after you've had a really maybe abnormal experience. We talked about this on a last episode, but really the little things add up to be the big things. And, you know, sun safety doesn't have to be rocket science. It really are these like little steps that you're making a part of your new routine that over time that new routine just becomes habit, right? Just like anything. So, yes, it took me a while to really dive into the sun safety world with sunscreen and protective clothing. But over time, I found what worked for me, what didn't work. And I've also been able to, you know, get involved in the melanoma community and learn about other products or other things that could also work for me.

Sunscreen Basics That Actually Work

SPEAKER_02 14:41

Yeah, and and I like what you mentioned when you're combining those, because I think for any sun protection regimen, there's not just one way to go about it. In fact, you know, we try to encourage people, yeah, do more than one thing, you know, common sense measures, you know, don't be out during peak hours if you can avoid it. But sometimes that party's scheduled right at 2 p.m., or you only have time to mow the lawn right at noon, right? So you have to kind of be practical for people. But then adding in, you know, sun protective clothing, as you mentioned, and I like how you said using a combination with sunscreen, because that's really what we push in dermatology. It's one isn't meant to replace the other, they're sort of just meant to be complementary. And you can see this on some of my farmers that really never wore a look at sunscreen. You can see tan lines from where they still have got sun underneath their clothing. So it's not as bone-white as you might anticipate, but a lot of them they got over, you know, their overalls on and they've also got on a t-shirt. You can still see where they got sun, even though it may not be as prominent as the areas that weren't protected. So I always push people do sunscreen with your sun protective clothing because it is kind of going to work nicely together. And especially as sunscreen wears off and we're not always the best at reapplying. That is one of the things I think we sort of tease that when I have patients come in, they're like, hey, sunscreen doesn't work for me. And I'm like, Well, what are you doing? What are you using? And uh I try to tell people a lot of times it's it's user error with sunscreen. I mean, it really is dependent on do we put enough on? Do we use the right type of sunscreen? How often are we reapplying? You know, are we in water a lot? And maybe we're not doing water resistance. So there's a lot of factors of play. What I like to tell patients is, you know, do an SBF, a minimum of 30, but I'll usually push the envelope to them. I prefer a 50. I I push it because we tend not to put enough on. I tell people, no, that doesn't mean you get to reapply less frequently. I still want you to apply frequently. And our recommendations will save our two hours, but honestly, I'll tell people about every hour, sometimes 45 minutes to an hour, especially if they're very fair, since SBF is kind of a relative term for them. And I tell them, look for that broad spectrum on the label. As long as you meet those two requirements, I'm usually pretty happy. If you are in water, get the water resistant, good for 40, 80 minutes. I'll push them then to follow that for reapplication. And like you mentioned earlier, I think a really good pearl that you mentioned, find a sunscreen you're like, because if you don't like it, you won't use it, right? So some people are very particular in feel, smell, texture. You know, I tell you, as long as you're getting those bare minimums in there, SPF 30, me push it to a 50, you have broad spectrum on there, you reapply a minimum, you know, every two hours. But most people tell them shorter, 45 minutes to an hour. You can actually be pretty successful with sunscreen. And I think the amount matters too. You know, I'll try to guesstimate for people about a quarter size amount for head, neck, ears. You know, they say shot glass for your entire body, but honestly, not everybody is created the same, right? So I tell you, you might need a few shot glasses. And I hate to say it, but I feel like more is often better. You know, sometimes we say more isn't often better with things, but sunscreen, I tend to push the envelope and again tell them more is better. Put on about 25 minutes to half hour before you're going out just to give yourself some time to kick in, especially if you're using one of our chemical-based sunscreens. But as we talked about early on, I always highlight for people zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, our mineral sunscreens are chemicals too. So just kind of keep that in mind. But if you're uncomfortable with the thought of a true chemical sunscreen, you can stick with the mineral only or use hybrids. I use hybrids a lot too, where they're a mixture of both, like you mentioned. But don't use it as an excuse not to put sunscreen on. I think that's the big thing we want to emphasize for people. Because I do have patients like, yeah, I just don't like the, you know, the concept of chemical sunscreen. I'm like, well, we got a solution for you. There's mineral base, so you can feel confident with those. Even though I try to reassure them at this point in time, we do feel like these chemical sunscreens are safe for us to be using. So what else have you heard? Have you heard friends of yours, or maybe you're at a party, like people talking about something that you were kind of shocked to hear about? Oh, I think this is a good idea. I go out and get sun, you know, for this reason, or I don't use sunscreen for that reason. Any other myths that you've heard or things you think that are really important to highlight?

Spray Sunscreen Done Right

SPEAKER_01 18:40

Gosh, I feel like I've heard so many of them. I've I've really had to have conversations with friends around reapplying sunscreen. I know we already talked about that because there is that notion of, especially when people go out, you know, on vacation somewhere, they bring one bottle of sunscreen for a week-long vacation. And I'm like, that is not gonna cut it for you. And if you're bringing one for the whole family, absolutely not. So another thing too, um just kind of piggybacking off of um sunscreens, specifically spray sunscreen, which I am a fan of. But what a lot of people don't know is the appropriate way to use spray sunscreen. So one of the biggest like trigger points for me is if I'm out on vacation and I see, you know, moms spraying down their kids and they are just spraying, and I see the spray just go with the wind and not even touch the skin of their child. And I'm like, and then they're like, okay, go and play. And if you're gonna use a spray sunscreen, you have to rub that in. Like you have to make sure that is in there. And you also made a good point, Dr. Trotter. You also need time for that to really kick in. It's not like shh, go. Like there needs to be that period. Um, and so that always like, you know, to this day, when I go on vacations with like my fiance and they're like getting ready to go in the ocean, and then it's just like these quick little sprays, and then that's that. And then you see them at the resort at dinner later, and they're all like burned and tan. I'm like, oh no. So um, so that's probably a big one. I mean, the tanning stuff, it's something that you know, I still have to kind of grapple with with some of my friends. I mean, they know my story, they know my dad's story with melanoma, and I'll still see them post on their Instagram pictures of them sunburned or very tan after vacation or them actually tanning in a photo. And, you know, at the end of the day, you know, everybody, you know, that's 18 and up, they're an adult, they can make their own decisions. And, you know, we can't force people to practice sun safety like we may, but we can only set good examples or say, you know, this is what I've learned or this is what works for me. Or um, you know, nowadays we're living in an age where we're recommending products out the wazoo, right? Like all of social media is like sharing products, right? And so maybe if you're seeing a friend that's, you know, tanning or you know that's still tanning, like maybe say, like, I just got this great sunscreen. I really would love for you to try it and like talk it up and give it to them for free and see if they like it, you know. Cause at the end of the day, as long as you're doing your due diligence and like kind of extending that olive branch and sharing something with them that may help, I think that that's awesome. Um, those are like the first couple things that come to my mind, but I'm sure I can think of many more.

Texture, Tint, And Daily Compliance

SPEAKER_02 21:34

Well, I think too, you mentioned like a great sunscreen. One of the complaints we get, you know, especially with some of the mineral based sunscreens, is that they leave that white kind of like film or caspery look. My husband has darker skin and he'll rub sunscreen, you know, but he thinks he's rubbed it on his face and he'll come out and be like, Can you see my sunscreen? Do I look good? And I'm like, Yeah, you can definitely see you have sunscreen on. So some of the older versions do leave that white cast, but now we have new versions that leave a Feel or they're lightweight. And that's where I encourage people. You know, it's hard sometimes, you can't always sample sunscreen. But if you're at your dermatologist's office, or sometimes some of the stores, like a Safari Alta, you might be able to do the testers so you can get a feel or see how does this match my skin tone? And now we have tinted sunscreens that are available. So people can use it if they're not really makeup wearers, but they want a little bit of coverage. As you mentioned, like the different vehicles, like spray, lotion, gels. One of my favorites is actually a compact sunscreen from Skin Better Science. And it's called Tone Smart. So I'm not a huge foundation wearer, but I love it because it has a little bit of tint that it provides me, but it's also in a solid type form. So it's great for travel. So for me, I found I'm much more compliant with putting sunscreen on my face because I chose that version. Where for me to reapply lotion all day is not my favorite. I don't like the greasy or heavy feel, or sometimes even the sunscreen smell. And a lot of people are bothered by that too. So I think playing with it, sharing it, you know, tips are what people really loved is great for darker skin types that sheer or tint, because that definitely can be a deterrent. Who wants to look like Casper walking around? Like, and do I have my sunscreen on? Gone are the days of the white nose, you know, with the lifeguard that we used to see out there as well. And I think too, the the other thing a patient came in, they were talking to me about is the whole vitamin D concept. Do you have people tell you, like, oh no, I need to go out and get my son, especially where you're at in northeastern Ohio, where there's not a lot of sun and they're worried about vitamin D deficiency. Is that something that you've heard people say, like, I need my son for my vitamin D.

SPEAKER_01 23:34

Oh, yeah, absolutely. And again, I think sometimes they use it as an excuse, right? Because, oh, if I make it sound like a medical or a health-related thing, then this behavior is okay, which absolutely like that's false. And what people also don't understand is you can obtain vitamin D in other ways besides being out in the sun, whether that's dietary supplement, eating certain foods have vitamin D. Um, and also while you're wearing sunscreen out in the sun, sunscreen is not protecting you 100% from the sun. You're still able to absorb some level of vitamin D, you know, from the sun while you're protecting your skin. So it's like this kind of all or nothing black or white thinking. Like it's like, oh, if we're don't go in the sun, we will have zero absorption of vitamin D and won't be able to get it from any other, you know, avenue. And that's completely false. And that's a myth. And again, I think people use it as an excuse. I'm not sure what your thoughts are on that though.

Vitamin D Without The Burn

SPEAKER_02 24:38

Yeah, I think that's a common thing people come in and talk about. They're like, oh yeah, I need to get my sun exposure for vitamin D. And I'll tell them, well, vitamin D from the sun is a multi-step process. It's a bit more complex than just going out there and getting sun exposure. And I'll explain actually everyone's ability to do that. It can actually decrease over time, and especially as we get older. And so I tell them exactly what you mentioned. One, it's good to know do you truly have a vitamin D deficiency? And if you do, we can measure that. We can do a blood test. We know certain people are at risk because of just simply where they live geographically. Other people might be more of a physiologic issue. And there's other reasons people can be vitamin D deficient. But once we identify that, the best way to get it is through proper supplementation and fortified foods. And so I think that's what I try to emphasize with people is that, you know, the sun is there. It has health benefits. I think nobody disputes that, except for maybe some dermatologists. I mean, we do have some of us that are still kind of, I think, you know, not very practical for people. People are going to go out and get in the sun. That's life, right? The sun helps with, you know, mood and our circadian rhythm. And it helps, obviously, I think, with people just having, you know, that feel-good effect. We know that. People report that, you know, versus the cloudy days that we're so accustomed to here in Ohio. And so there are health benefits. I think like anything else, we need to do it in moderation. What we're trying to do as, you know, dermatologists and self-like, you know, people like yourself is advocate for sun safety. So you're just doing it smarter. But you're right, to like go out there and say, I'm just going to get unprotected sun all the time or fry myself for good vitamin D just doesn't make sense. And I tell people, would you really want to do that at the expense of potentially getting melanoma? And when you kind of put it that way, or again, I hate to say it, you know, the way the sun can age us all. And a lot of people they'll admit that. They'll say, Yeah, my grandmother lived out in the sun and oh my gosh, she looked like leather before she passed away. And I'll tell you, yeah, that's that's something that can happen too. And if that motivates you, I mean, I hate to say it, but I'll take it. If I don't scare you with the melanoma and skin cancer piece, okay. But I'll take whatever I can just to put, you know, a spin on it that people realize, you know, it's something that you have control over. You can go out and still enjoy life, and you still can do everything right. And I do tell patients you could still get skin cancer, right? You know, for somebody says, well, I was really good about sun protection, I did this throughout my lifetime. And I tell you, yeah, there there's other reasons too that we get skin cancer or when those errors occur in the DNA of our skin cells and skin cancers form. And sometimes, yeah, you can do everything right. And I said, just look at people that do smoke and don't get lung cancer. That happens too. So it's all about risk. But if we don't have to give you a wanted risk, like why would we do it, right? If we have tools to prevent, let's work on that and get the vitamin D a better way. So that's usually kind of the approach I try to take, which usually convinces people, but it but it can be tough because I think they're sold and there's this, you know, perception of I just get sun and I've got vitamin D, and not even realizing it's a bit more complex than that.

Prevention, Risks, And Empowerment

SPEAKER_01 27:31

Yeah. And I always tell people that when you're finding excuses on, you know, ways to not protect your skin because you want to achieve a tan or what have you, I always say melanoma prevention is a lot cheaper than melanoma treatment. And take it from a survivor and a daughter of a stage four melanoma patient. You know, it's this a lot of this is so preventable. And if we can just really take a step back and realize that melanoma skin cancer does not discriminate. It doesn't care how old you are, it doesn't care what gender you are, it doesn't care what race or ethnicity you are, it doesn't care what your socioeconomic status is, it can happen to anybody. And I think the more and more people that realize that and we share our stories and have conversations like the one that we're having right now, Dr. Trotter, hopefully we're able to leave a footprint on somebody and really wake people up that this could happen to them. And again, knowing that something is so preventable. And I get it, you know, my mid-20s when I was diagnosed, I thought I was invincible. I thought nothing was gonna touch me. And then it did, and it completely changed my life. And no, I can't take back the past, but I can only move forward. And I'm really grateful to live in a time where we have endless options for sun safety, whether it's a tan in a bottle, SPF of any kind, UPF clothing, but also just making different decisions about when you go outside, how you go outside. There's so many different ways. You don't have to let melanoma dictate how you live your life moving forward.

Closing And Where To Find Leah

SPEAKER_02 29:08

I love that. And information is power, which is what we're trying to bring to people. And like you said, you know, I always tell my patients, I don't want your skin condition, I don't want your melanoma to control you. I want you to empower yourself so that you can control it. And I think that's what we can do with sun safety measures. Well, well, thank you so much, Leah, for coming back on. I know we've worked you hard and having you on the podcast several times, but you really have a unique perspective as a patient. And it's hard sometimes when we're coming over on experts and we don't want people to feel like, you know, we're not trying to lecture, we're not trying to say you have to do this. We know there's the practical and real world aspect that I love that you bring to the table. So the patients out there that have said the same thing back to their dermatologists, like, ah, even somebody who's had melanoma has thought this, but they they've really seen the value of some protection and how they can really take charge after having such a devastating diagnosis as melanoma. So thank you again for sharing all your insights. I really appreciate it. Of course. Always happy to share. For our audience members, if they want to find you online, can you let them know where they can actually locate you?

SPEAKER_01 30:11

Absolutely. So the best place to find me is on Instagram. I'm at the Leah Alexis, all lowercase, and you can follow along all of my melanoma running and journey on there.

SPEAKER_02 30:25

Well, thanks again for coming on the podcast, and stay tuned for the next episode of Dermotter Don't Swear About Skin Care.

SPEAKER_00 30:33

Thanks for listening to Dermot Trotter. For more about skincare, visit dermittrotter.com. Don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this podcast with anyone who needs a little skincare sanity. Until next time, stay skin smart.