This year alone an estimated 76,690 new cases of invasive melanoma will be diagnosed in the U.S. An estimated 9,480 people will die of melanoma in 2013. These stats, provided by the National Cancer Institute, should convince everyone to wear sunscreen, but the truth is the average person still does not protect their body from sun damage.
“People are not afraid of skin cancer,” says Hillary Fogelson, author of “Pale Girl Speaks: A Year Uncovered” (Seal Press) and a three-time melanoma survivor. “There is a misunderstanding between skin cancer and melanoma specifically. People think it’s a little thing that you scrape off.”
There are different forms of skin cancer, including melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin. Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are the most common forms of non-melanoma skin cancer. They are rarely life-threatening, but the skin should be treated in a timely manner.
Melanoma is the least common, but most aggressive of the two types of skin cancer. This type of cancer develops in the melanocytes cells found in the epidermis, the top layer of the skin. Melanocytes cells produce melanin, the brown pigment that gives your skin its tan color. Melanin protects the deeper layers of the skin from some of the harmful effects of the sun.
“Melanoma, a very serious skin cancer, is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of pigment-producing tanning cells. It is caused by excessive exposure to the UV radiation of the sun. Melanoma has also been linked to excessive sun exposure in the first 10 to 18 years of life,” explains Dr. Manju Elizabeth George, a board certified pediatric dermatologist in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
The Skin Cancer Foundation says about 86 percent of melanomas can be attributed to exposure to ultraviolet radiation from the sun. It is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25-29 years old and second most common form of cancer for young adults 15-19 years old. Melanoma is almost always curable when it is found in its very early stages. Dr. George suggests scheduling a skin exam at least once a year; age doesn’t matter.
Many people see a sunburn as temporary, but the skin damage is with you your whole life. “It doesn’t go away. Twenty years go by and you won’t be able to avoid that skin damage. People will pay a price whether it’s skin cancer or aging,” adds Fogelson.
Yet melanoma is largely preventable. It just takes a little work – wearing the appropriate clothing, applying sunscreen correctly and reapplying, using moisturizers, lotions and creams with SPF. Learn more: Hillary Fogelson shares her top skin protection products. [link to story] Dr. Manju George explains the terminologies behind the bottle labels. [link to story]
“Oddly, culture is obsessed with beauty, but there’s such a disconnect between using sunscreen and sun protection, and that’s the biggest thing you can do to stay looking young,” says Fogelson. “Studies have consistently shown that regular sunscreen use absolutely slows skin-aging down.”
A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that daily sunscreen use can stop skin aging for up to 4.5 years in healthy middle-aged adults.
