Skin cancer is the world’s most common cancer. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70, and it will cost more than 17,000 their lives this year alone. That makes it a very serious health concern.
The good news is, when it’s detected early, melanoma (the deadliest form of skin cancer) has a 5-year survival rate of 99 percent. That means prevention and detection are not only necessary, but paramount. So the question is, how do we prevent this potentially deadly disease?
Melanoma Signs & Symptoms
Let’s start with where skin cancer is found and what it looks like. Skin cancer is most commonly found on sun-exposed regions of the body, like the scalp, face, lips, ears, neck, chest, arms, and hands, as well as the legs. It can also develop on places that are infrequently exposed to light, such as your palms, under your fingernails or toenails, and your genital area.
So what does it look like? Here are some common identifiers:
- A brownish spot with darker speckles
- A mole that bleeds or changes color, size, or texture
- A tiny lesion with an uneven border with red, pink, white, blue, or blue-black sections
- A painful, itchy, or burning lesion
- Dark lesions on the palms, soles, fingertips, or toes, as well as mucous membranes lining the mouth, nose, vaginal, or anus
Skin Cancer Prevention
The majority of skin cancers are caused by excessive UV exposure. The sun, tanning beds, and sunlamps all emit UV radiation. UV rays have the potential to harm skin cells any time of year – not just the summer. On cloudy and cool days, UV rays can still reach you and even reflect off water, cement, sand, and snow. That’s why UV protection is necessary all year.
You can reduce your risk of skin cancer by protecting your skin from UV radiation and practicing sun safety methods like these:
- Keep to the shade
- Cover your arms and legs with clothing
- Shade your face, head, ears, and neck with a wide-brim hat
- Wear wraparound sunglasses that shield both UVA and UVB rays
- Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen that protects from both UVA and UVB rays and has an SPF of 15 or higher
Choosing The Right Sunscreen
Sunscreen is an excellent protector against UV radiation. As noted above, it’s important to choose a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher. SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor, and the number next to it reflects how well the sunscreen protects skin from sunburn.
Proper sunscreen application is important as well. And SPF 30 sunscreen applied correctly provides superior protection to an SPF 50+ sunscreen that’s applied too thinly or irregularly.
It’s important to remember, though, that no matter how high the SPF is, sunscreen is a protection and not a defense. No sunscreen can ever totally prevent sunburn and associated skin damage. But it’s a great start.
How Sunburns Affect Skin Cancer Risk
Sunburn is harmful in several ways. The danger extends far beyond any temporary pain, redness, or discomfort, because long-term harm lingers after the sunburn disappears.
Sunburn accelerates skin aging and is a leading cause in the majority of cases of various forms of skin cancer, including melanoma. In fact, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, a history of 5 or more sunburns can double your chances of developing melanoma. Even one severe sunburn as a child or adolescent greatly increases your risk of acquiring melanoma later in life.
When it comes to stopping sunburns, sun damage, and skin cancer, prevention is clearly the name of the game. So be vigilant about sun exposure, applying and re-applying sunscreen, and checking your body for unusual spots and lesions. And if you do see anything concerning, or if you think you may be at risk of developing skin cancer, contact a primary care doctor right away. Because early detection is the next best thing to prevention.