Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is the most prevalent of all cancers. It is estimated that more than one million Americans develop skin cancer every year.

Sun avoidance is the best defense against skin cancer.

Over exposure to sunlight (including tanning) is the main cause of skin cancer especially when it results in sunburn and blistering. Other less important factors include: repeated medical and industrial x-ray exposure, scarring from diseases or burns, occupational exposure to such compounds as coal tar and arsenic, and family history. Fair-skinned people who sunburn easily are particularly high risk for skin cancer.

Prevention means guarding the skin against the known causes of skin cancer. Since the sun’s ultraviolet rays are the main culprit, the most effective preventive method is sun avoidance.

• Seek shade between 10:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. when the ultraviolet rays are the most intense, especially when your shadow is shorter than you are tall.
• Wear light colored, tightly-woven, protective clothing, and wide-brimmed hats (3-inch brim).
• Apply sunscreens with a SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of at least 15.

With a SPF 15 sunscreen applied properly, a fair-skin person who sunburns in 20 minutes can tolerate 15 times 20 minutes (300 minutes) without burning. However, the use of sunscreens should not be an excuse to spend extra time in the sun because other sunrays still go through the sunscreen, such as UVA or infrared, which can age the skin and damage the skin’s immune system.

Begin early use of sun protection in childhood because it is estimated that 80 percent of lifetime sun exposure occurs before age 18. Children under 6 months of age should not have prolonged sun exposure, but if this occurs then a sunscreen should be used.

The use of sunscreen should always be part of a program for sun avoidance and never as an excuse for increasing sun exposure.

Skin Cancer | Moles