by
Loren Hamel, MD - President & CEO, Lakeland Health |
Jul 11, 2017
It’s summer and it’s sunny. It’s hard not to feel grateful for blue skies and warm temperatures. But the doctor in me can’t help but pass along a few cautions.
The cautions are not new, but your grandmother probably didn’t abide by them. In her day spending more time in the sun was almost the same as being healthy. And a suntan, at least for the fair-skinned among us, was often viewed as proof.
Nowadays the link between sun exposure and all forms of skin cancer – from the most common and least deadly basal cell cancer, to the least common and deadliest malignant melanoma – is known by virtually every parent. But that knowledge hasn’t turned into lower skin cancer rates.
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. More than 5.5 million Americans will be diagnosed with a new skin cancer this year. One in five of us will develop skin cancer during our lifetimes. Overall, melanomas are the 5th most likely cancer in men and the 6th most likely cancer in women.
Over the last few decades, the incidence of skin cancer has increased, depending on age, gender and race, by 150 to more than 250 percent. The rate of skin cancer is increasing faster in women and in younger people, including teenage girls. The link between ultra violet (UV) light exposure, whether from the sun or a tanning bed, and skin cancer is unequivocal. Just in case you’re wondering, it is estimated that tanning beds produce more than 400,000 new skin cancers every year.
Fortunately, darker-skinned individuals have a lower risk of skin cancer but they also have a higher risk of delayed diagnoses.
Preventing skin cancer is very simple, but apparently, it not easy.
Between 50 and 90 percent of skin cancer can be prevented by either slathering on the sunscreen or covering up with clothing and a hat. That is particularly true for children. A single blistering sunburn in a child nearly doubles the risk of developing a melanoma later in life. During the teen years, five or more blistering sunburns increases the risk of developing a melanoma by 80 percent.
Risk factors for skin cancer include the frequency and duration of sun exposure, tanning bed use, fair skin, blonde or red hair, a family or personal history of skin cancer, a large number of moles, or moles that are large in size or irregular shaped or colored.
Even if you never had a sunburn you aren’t necessarily exempt from skin cancer risk. The more sun, and the more tan, the higher the skin cancer risk. And if a 1-in-5 skin cancer risk doesn’t impress you much, those that worship the sun have essentially a 100 percent risk of premature aging of the skin, including dark spots and wrinkles.
If you’re concerned about missing out on your vitamin D, it is very unlikely. In fact, it only takes five to 10 minutes of sunshine per day to give you plenty of vitamin D. Also, dairy products, and other foods are often vitamin D fortified. If you’re still concerned, talk with your healthcare provider about taking vitamin D supplements.
And while you’re visiting your healthcare provider make sure they do a head-to-toe skin examination. It can be even more helpful if you take digital photos of your skin – think on your birthday and in your birthday suit. Otherwise, enjoy the sunshine.
