7 Important Facts About the Sun and Skin Cancer

Anyone can get skin cancer, regardless of age, gender, or skin color. Lowering your risk is as simple as practicing smart sunning and checking your skin for changes.

Photo by Lachlan Dempsey on Unsplash

Yes, I will admit it’s all my fault.

Sometimes, I want to kick my younger self. Fair-skinned and freckled, I longed to turn brown and tan.

But in those days, most of us were clueless when it came to the sun.

No one told us that something that felt so good - so comforting, so relaxing, so invigorating - could be so bad. Days, hours, laying in the sun. Time spent with sun-reflector-to-face, never dark enough, never long enough. We lay in the sun with abandon, our only worry that when the sun set, we’d have to stop our marathon baking.

And so, after my fourth - yes, fourth - visit to the dermatologist to have yet another squamous cell carcinoma removed - this time from my left wrist (which looked shockingly like nothing more than a tiny pimple!) - I feel compelled to write about the sun.

It’s all been done before. Yet I know that you can never be reminded enough to be cautious. And besides, since May is soon here - and May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month - it’s worth revisiting.

Sun exposure is the most avoidable risk for skin cancer, including melanoma. Sonya Kenkare, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Hinsdale, Illinois, offers these facts as well:

• Melanoma is one the most serious forms of skin cancer, and yet it’s highly treatable when detected early.

• Unfortunately, when it’s not detected early, melanoma can spread to the lymph nodes and internal organs, which can be fatal. It’s estimated that 8,290 people will die from melanoma alone this year in the United States, and invasive melanoma will be the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer for both men and women.

• From the early 2000s onward, the occurrence rates of invasive melanoma have stabilized in women below the age of 50 but have exhibited a steady annual rise of 3% among women aged 50 or older.

• Generally, women are more susceptible to invasive melanoma compared to men in the under-50 age group. However, in individuals aged 50 and older, men exhibit a higher incidence of invasive melanoma compared to women in the same age category.

• This distinction may be linked to historical patterns of UV radiation exposure in workplaces and leisure activities, as well as trends in indoor tanning among young women.

• Sun damage adds up over time, which is why people need to remember to seek shade when the sun is at its highest between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., wear sun-protective clothing, and apply a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher to all skin not covered by clothing.

• Notice new or suspicious spots on your skin or spots that are changing, itching, or bleeding? Take thee to a board-certified dermatologist, stat! - to get checked. (As I mentioned above, I thought - wrongly - that a small spot on my wrist was a mere pimple. I’m so glad I got it checked, and promptly removed.)

For a Pause…

1. If you go for a professional skin exam once a year, good for you. While you’re at it, prepare for the exam by removing nail polish from fingers and toes, removing any makeup, performing your own exam prior to your appointment so you can point out anything new or suspicious. And while you’re at it, wear your hair loose (yes, skin cancers can develop on your scalp too).

2. There are so many good products on the market, and this one by EltaMD is one of my favorites. It’s lightweight and absorbs quickly.

3. Besides sunscreen, make sure to cover your head, which helps keep the sun off your face. And while you’re at it, might as well look stylish. A hat like this from Wallaroo Hat Company checks all the boxes.

4. Self-tanners have come a very long way from the time they turned your skin a nauseating hue of orange that resembled nothing close to a real tan. If you have to fake it, this one by St. Tropez is realistic enough to be a dupe for the real thing.

One More Thing:

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Until next time…stay healthy, well-thy and wise, and thank you for being here! xoSheryl