Sun Safety and Skin Cancer

SUN PROTECTION TIPS (Source:  AAD, "Sun Safety Tips")
Exposure to the sun can cause sunburn and over the years contributes to skin cancer, premature wrinkling and other skin damage, and cataracts.
Here are ways to minimize damage from the sun:
• Try to avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun's rays are the strongest.
• Stay in the shade whenever possible and keep infants under 6 months of age out of the sun.
• Anyone over the age of 6 months should use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15 that protects against both of the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays:  UVA and UVB.
• Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before sun exposure to all uncovered skin except the eyelids.
• Reapply sunscreen every two hours, even on cloudy days.
• Wear protective clothing:  a long-sleeved shirt, pants, wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.
• Take special precautions when the National Weather Service's daily ultraviolet (UV) radiation index predicts UV exposure levels of moderate and above (5 - 10+) or near surfaces that reflect the sun's rays, such as water, snow and sand. Whenever possible, stay inside or in the shade. Use a high-SPF sunscreen or a sunblock.

CHOOSING A SUNSCREEN (Source:  AAD)
• Choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen (one that protects against UVA and UVB ultraviolet rays) with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15.
• Realize that an SPF 30 does not give twice the protection of SPF 15. SPF 15 absorbs 93 percent of the sun's burning rays, and SPF 30 has a 97 percent absorption.
• Use a waterproof sunscreen when you swim outdoors.
• If you are allergic to sunscreen chemicals, try zinc oxide cream, which is a sunblock.

MORE INFORMATION
• The AAD and its National Coalition for Sun Safety are dedicated to lowering the incidence of skin cancer in the United States.
• The AAD has designated each May as National Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month. (See the Skin Cancer card for skin cancer statistics and risk factors.)
• For information on potential skin damage from tanning beds, see the Indoor Tanning card.
• For information on the UV index, contact the National Weather Service, 301-713-0622.

SKIN CANCER TYPES
• Basal cell carcinoma is usually a slow-growing raised area that may crust and bleed, occurring mostly on the face, neck and hands.
• Squamous cell carcinoma is a red or pink, scaly bump, that may crust and bleed, typically appearing on the face, hands and ears.
• Malignant melanoma, the most serious type, usually begins as a light brown or flat, black spot with irregular borders that later can become red, blue or white. It may grow from a mole or present as a new growth.

STATISTICS (Sources:  AAD and American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures)
• Half of all new cancers are skin cancer, making skin cancer the most common cancer.
• An estimated 1 million new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year in the United States; 80 percent are basal cell carcinoma, 16 percent are squamous cell carcinoma and 4 percent are melanoma.
• Basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma have a better than 95 percent cure rate if treated early.
• In 1999, nearly 9,200 Americans will die of skin cancer, 7,300 from melanoma alone.
• One in five Americans will develop skin cancer over their lifetime, and in 1999 1 in 82 will get melanoma in their lifetime. It is predicted that by the year 2000, 1 in 75 Americans will have a lifetime risk of developing melanoma.
• In 1999, there will be about 41,600 new cases of invasive melanoma, a 3 percent increase from 1997.

RISK FACTORS (Source: AAD Malignant Melanoma Fact Sheet)
• Overexposure to ultraviolet light (from the sun and indoor tanning) is the greatest risk factor for skin cancer; ultraviolet radiation causes almost all cases of basal and squamous cell skin cancer, and sun exposure is a major cause of skin melanoma.
• Excessive sun exposure in the first 15 years of life increases the risk for melanoma threefold.
• Whites are 20 times more likely than African-Americans to get malignant melanoma.
• People with fair skin have twice the risk of developing melanoma as do those with olive skin.
• Redheads and blondes have a twofold to fourfold increased risk of developing melanoma.
• Melanoma risk increases by nine times for anyone who already has had one melanoma.
• The risk for melanoma substantially increases for people with large moles, unusual (atypical) moles or more than 100 moles (50 moles if under age 20)
• A family history of melanoma increases one's chance of developing this skin cancer.

PREVENTION Protection from ultraviolet light could prevent many skin cancers.
(See the sun protection tips at the top of the page.)

TREATMENT Surgery is used to remove melanomas and most basal and squamous cell carcinomas. Other treatments include electrodesiccation (tissue destruction by heat), cryosurgery (tissue destruction by freezing) and radiation therapy.

Self-examination for Melanoma
Practice Frequent Self-examinations.
Remember:  Prompt surgical excision of an early melanoma offers an excellent chance of a cure. If you have any doubt about a mole, see a dermatologist.

 

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Near Mercy Hospital South
(704)541-0888
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