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Tuesday, May 18,2021 ®Ijt 1) trait) <©a?Ettf 7A
MELANOMA/SKIN CANCER
DETECTION & PREVENTION
MONTH
Factors that can increase your
risk of skin damage from the sun
Summer is a great time
to get outside and soak
up some sun. Weekend
afternoons spent on the
water, lounging at the
beach or working in the
backyard are part and
parcel of many people’s
summers, making June,
July and August some of
the most relaxing, enjoy
able months of the year.
Skin damage may be
the furthest thing from
many people’s minds
when they’re planning
to spend summer after
noons outdoors. Howev
er, the American Cancer
Society notes that no one
is immune from the dam
age that can be caused
by ultraviolet rays from
the sun. That includes
people with naturally
darker skin. According
to the ACS, people with
light skin are much more
likely to suffer from skin
damage caused by the
sun’s UV rays, and such
individuals also are at
greater risk for skin can
cer. But darker-skinned
individuals of all ethnic
backgrounds also can
suffer from UV-related
skin damage.
Fair skin is not the
only factor that can make
people more vulnerable
to skin-related sun dam
age or even skin can
cer. The World Cancer
Research Fund and the
American Institute for
Cancer Research report
that non-melanoma skin
cancer is the fifth most
commonly occurring can
cer in the world, while
melanoma is 19th on that
list. Such statistics un
derscore the importance
of recognizing those fac
tors that could increase
your risk for sun-related
skin damage, which the
Centers for Disease Con
trol and Prevention notes
is one of the risk factors
for skin cancer.
The ACS urges all
people to be careful in
the sun, and people who
have any of these risk
factors should be espe
cially careful.
• A past skin cancer
diagnosis
• A family history of
skin cancer, especially
melanoma
• The presence of
many moles, irregular
moles or large moles on
your skin
• You have freckles
and burn before tanning
• You have blue or
green eyes, or blond, red
or light brown hair
• You live or vacation
at high altitudes, as UV
rays are stronger the
higher up you are
• You live or vacation
in tropical or subtropical
climates
• You work indoors
all week and then get
intense sun exposure on
weekends
• You spend a lot of
time outdoors
• You have been
diagnosed with certain
autoimmune diseases,
such as systemic lupus
erythematosus (SLE, or
lupus)
• You have certain
inherited conditions that
increase your risk of skin
cancer, such as xeroder
ma pigmentosum or ne
void basal cell carcinoma
syndrome, also known as
Gorlin syndrome
• You have a medical
condition that weakens
your immune system,
such as infection with
HIV
• You have had an
organ transplant
• You take medicines
that lower or suppress
your immune system
• You take medicines
that make your skin more
sensitive to sunlight
Summer is a great time
to get outdoors. But it’s
imperative that all peo
ple, regardless of their
skin tones, take steps to
protect themselves from
sun-related skin damage.
Don’t forget to apply sunscreen
It can be easy to forget
to apply sunscreen when
a sunny summer day
beckons you to get out
side and enjoy the great
outdoors. But forget
ting to apply sunscreen
before spending time in
the sun is a potentially
deadly mistake. Accord
ing to the World Health
Organization, one in
every three cancers diag
nosed is a skin cancer. In
addition, the Skin Cancer
Foundation notes that
one in five Americans
will develop skin cancer
by the age of 70. The
discomfort of a sunburn
might seem relatively
harmless, but the rela
tionship between sun
burns and cancer risk is
significant. The SCF notes
that having five or more
sunburns doubles your
risk for melanoma, a type
of skin cancer that often
and quickly spreads to
nearby lymph nodes. Per
haps that’s one reason
why the American Cancer
Society reports that the
number of new invasive
melanoma cases diag
nosed annually increased
by 47 percent between
2010 and 2020. Avoiding
sunburn by applying and
reapplying a broad-spec
trum sunscreen with a
minimum sun protection
factor (SPF) of 30 should
be a priority for anyone
spending time outdoors.
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Risk factors for melanoma
Skin protection takes
center stage each spring
and summer. Though it’s
important to protect skin
whenever spending time
outdoors, including in
winter, many people get
the bulk of their out
doors time in when the
weather is at its warm
est, making sunscreen a
must-have accessory in
spring and summer.
Melanoma is a form
of skin cancer that can
spread rapidly to other
organs if it is not treated
at an early stage. The
Skin Cancer Foundation
notes that between 70
and 80 percent of mela
nomas arise on normal
looking skin. When skin
is exposed to ultraviolet
radiation, that exposure
can contribute to skin
damage. Ultimately, mela
noma can occur when
damage from sunburn or
tanning due to UV radia
tion triggers mutations
that lead to uncontrolled
cellular growth.
Because melanoma
is inextricably linked to
exposure to UV radia
tion, it’s understandable
if people assume that
it’s always preventable.
However, the American
Cancer Society notes
that there is no way for
people to completely pre
vent melanoma. That’s
because some of the
risk factors are beyond
individuals’ control.
However, other risk fac
tors are within people’s
control, and recognizing
those factors can help
people lower their risk
for melanoma.
Uncontrollable risk
factors
Genetics and skin type
are two significant risk
factors for melanoma
that are beyond indi
viduals’ control. The SCF
notes that one in every
10 melanoma patients
has a family member who
had the disease. In addi
tion, melanoma is found
more frequently in peo
ple with fair skin than in
people with darker skin.
Melanoma also is found
more in people with light
eyes, light-colored hair
and red hair.
People with these
physical characteristics
and family histories must
be especially vigilant
when spending time
outdoors. Applying sun
screen with a minimum
sun protection factor
(SPF) of 30 and wearing
protective clothing and
hats that protect the skin
from UV radiation are
two ways that people
with fair skin and fam
ily histories can protect
themselves from mela
noma.
Controllable risk
factors
Unprotected or exces
sive UV exposure is a
significant risk factor
for melanoma. Anyone,
regardless of their fam
ily history or skin type,
should prioritize pro
tecting their skin when
spending time outdoors.
The American Skin Asso
ciation advises all people
to avoid the sun between
10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when
the sun’s rays are at their
strongest.
Tanning beds also
pose a threat in relation
to melanoma. The ACS
notes that the idea that
the UV rays of tanning
beds are harmless is a
misconception. Tanning
lamps give off UV rays
that can cause long-term
skin damage and the ACS
reports that tanning bed
use has been linked to an
increased risk of mela
noma, especially among
people who use such
beds prior to turning 30.
Checking the skin
routinely is another way
to combat melanoma.
The ACS notes that cer
tain types of moles are
more likely to develop
into melanoma than
others. Routine self
examinations of skin can
help people spot new or
abnormal moles or other
growths. Recognizing
these abnormalities and
reporting them to a phy
sician immediately can
help doctors treat them
before they turn into skin
cancer.
Melanoma is a poten
tially deadly form of skin
cancer. Recognizing the
various risk factors for
melanoma is an impor
tant first step in combat
ting the disease.
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