Sun-Safety Tips from Ian Michael Crumm (For Melanoma Awareness Month)

Getting naked is good for longevity—just ask celebrity esthetician Ian Michael Crumm, whose bare-all billboard just went up in Times Square today. It’s part of the annual #GetNaked campaign from the Melanoma Research Foundation, timed to May being Melanoma Awareness Month.

The goal of the campaign is to encourage frequent skin checks (monthly at home, annually with a doctor, and thus early detection of any melanomas. At present, over 1.4 million people are living with melanomas in the US, says the American Cancer Society. And melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer, with more than 8,000 Americans dying each year from the mostly preventable ailment. 

In fact, MRF states that approximately 93% of melanomas are preventable in the first place with proper suncare habits.

About Ian Michael Crumm and This Year’s #GetNaked Campaign

Crumm has long been an outspoken advocate for proper sun safety and melanoma awareness—hence why MRF approached him for this year’s campaign. 

“My grandmother is a melanoma survivor, and where my inspiration to be a public skin health advocate started,” says Crumm. “When I was young, I remember swimming in her pool and learning about melanoma after asking her about a scar on her leg. From that moment, I understood the importance of sun safety.” 

Since 2018, those individuals featured in the yearly #GetNaked campaign have been actual melanoma patients and caregivers, as well as active voices in the Melanoma Research Foundation community. Past reps have included actress Dayanara Torres, Las Vegas Raiders running back Raheem Mostert, and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Teddi Mellencamp.

Crumm would go on to become an esthetician, and now uses digital platforms to highlight best skincare practices, which he says start “with self-awareness, daily sun safety practices and frequent skin exams.” 

Ian Michael Crumm’s Sun Safety Tips

Crumm’s personal motto is “protected skin wins”. I caught up with him to get his top sun-safety tips, and here are his three key suggestions:

1. Make it your intention to build a sunscreen habit

The only way you’ll get adequate sun protection is to do it every day, and to achieve this, you need to support the habit you intend to sustain. For this, Crumm suggests putting a bottle of sunscreen next to the shower, whether it’s below your towel or next to your toothpaste. “After you towel dry off, get your areas covered immediately.”

2. Don’t skip the ears

Crumm got this advice from board-certified dermatologist Heather Rogers, founder of Doctor Rogers Skincare. One common place that she finds skin cancers is inside the ear. “People miss these less obvious areas,” Crumm notes. “Same for the top of head, like bald spots, or the overall scalp for guys with buzz cuts.”

3. Use UPF clothing for the beach

You’ve heard of SPF for skin, and UPF is the same idea, but UV-blocking fabrics. “This helps with not needing to reapply on your back, and protects you after you’ve been out in the sun too long,” says Crumm. 

For what it’s worth, I (Adam) really like Lululemon’s UPF clothing range.

Additional Suncare Advice

Here are two more tips for suncare that I like to preach as a men’s grooming journalist. 

Suncare saves money and stress in the future

Sun protection is not only the best defense against melanoma, but also against accelerated signs of aging. Proper defense will save you plenty of money and strain over both of these things. So many people spend a fortune on expensive skincare serums, treatments, and even cosmetic procedures to reverse damage caused by the sun. The real secret here is to avoid the damage in the first place with SPF and UPF.

Lather up every day of the year

This speaks to the habit that Crumm urges people to build. If you get in the habit of using sun protection every day, then multiple all of that sun exposure times the tens of thousands of days ahead. This includes winter days, cloudy days, indoor days near windows, quick errands outside or in the car. UV rays are omnipresent, and constant protection is your number one defense against skin cancer and photoaging.

The ABCDES of Melanoma: How to Check Yourself for Skin Irregularities

Here is a simple way to examine yourself every month for skin irregularities—the ABCDEs of Melanoma. They should help detect early stage or potential melanomas. Of course, please see a doctor annually for a professional checkup, and immediately after noticing anything unusual.

• A for Asymmetry: The mole isn’t symmetrical; one half looks vastly different.
• B for Border: You notice irregular, scalloped, or poorly defined borders.
• C for Color: The mole has an unusual or multiple colors, besides brown, including black, red, white, or blue.
• D for Diameter: It is larger than six millimeters (think a pencil eraser).
• E for Evolving: Over time, the spot changes in shape, color, texture, or size.