Tthe Sun the Skin and the Risk: Skin Cancer
Scientific data confirms that excessive exposure to the sun without the proper precautions can cause harm i.e. that exposure to the sun includes risk. Any choice we make that includes risk also includes specific ways to minimize such risk. The same holds true for UV exposure, whether from the direct sun or from indoor tanning technology.
Sun overexposure can be harmful. An immediate result of overexposure to
the sun's UV rays is sunburn. Another result of too much sun is
prematurely aged skin. The sun weakens the skin's elasticity and can
also cause dark patches and scaly gray growths, keratoses, which are
often precancerous. Almost all of the more than 500,000 cases of
skin cancer developed annually in the U.S. are considered by the
American Cancer Society to be sun-related. Fortunately, if treated in
time, the two most common forms of skin cancer, basal and squamous cell
cancers, are curable. THERE IS NO CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE THAT THE
BROWNING OF THE SKIN WITHOUT CAUSING BURNING IS HARMFUL.
The risk factors for skin cancer:
- heredity and excessive exposure (overexposure) to UV radiation
(an adult who has had one severe sunburn as a child or adolescent--most
skin damage is accumulated in the first 18 years of life-- has double
the chance of developing melanoma)
- fair skinned, skin type one, notably persons with red or blond hair, are at highest risk
- occupational exposure to coal tar, pitch, creosote, arsenic compounds, or radium.
The signs of skin cancer:
- a skin growth that increases in size and appears pearly, translucent, tan, brown, black or multicolored
- a mole, birthmark or beauty mark that: changes color, increases
in size or thickness, changes in texture and is irregular in outline
- a spot or growth that continues to itch, hurt, crust, scab, erode or bleed
- an open sore or wound on the skin that does not heal or persists for more than four weeks, or heals and then reopens.
If you think that you have any of the above symptoms, see your physician.
The ABCDs of skin cancer detection (self examination of moles, freckles and beauty marks):
- A -Asymmetry: common moles are round and symmetrical; early
malignant melanomas are asymmetrical (a line drawn through themiddle
will not create matching halves)
- B -Border: common moles have smooth, even borders; early malignant melanomas often have scalloped or notched (irregular) borders
- C -Color: common moles usually have a single shade of brown;
different shades of brown or black are often the first sign of a
malignant melanoma
- D -Diameter: common moles are usually the size of a pencil eraser (1/4") or smaller; early melanomas tend to be larger.
Melanoma, which makes up only 5% of all skin cancers, can be fatal.
There is no evidence, to date, which unequivocally substantiates that
melanoma is caused by gradual, moderate UV exposure. Those who are
predisposed to contract melanoma due to hereditary factors may develop
melanoma if it is triggered. While some studies have suggested a link
between severe sunburn and malignant melanoma, there are other studies
available that show that gradually increasing moderate amounts of
exposure to UV light may be beneficial.
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