May is Melanoma Awareness Month

May is skin cancer awareness month! In the spirit of this national awareness month, I would like to educate our readers on how to look for and prevent dangerous skin spots. Dermatologists offer total body skin exams and focused skin spot checks in an outpatient clinic setting that can help with the early detection of cancerous lesions. While melanoma is not the most common skin cancer that is found in the US population, it is one of the most dangerous forms of skin cancer. Most melanomas are detected early and can be treated. However, fatalities from melanoma can happen when detected late. It is estimated that we will lose 6,850 people from melanoma this year in the US.

Here are a few tips that are often discussed at a dermatology visit for skin cancer screening:

Avoid tanning beds and other sunlamps

Did you know that women who tan indoors before the age of 30, are 6 times more likely to develop melanoma- the deadliest form of skin cancer? Just one indoor tanning session can increase the risk of developing melanoma by 20%, squamous cell carcinoma by 67%, and basal cell carcinoma by 29%^1,2. For a glowing tan color in your skin, opt for the self-tanner that comes as wipes, creams, or lotions, and take the smarter option this way instead of taking the risk of skin cancer.

Stay in the shade between 10 am and 4 pm.

The sun’s rays are strongest during these times of the day between 10 am and 4 pm. Even on cloudy days, up to 80% of sun rays can still reach your skin after penetrating cloud coverage. If you are around snow surfaces, an additional 80% of rays can be reflected off the shiny surface. Sand also can reflect 20% of sun rays, so be careful to reapply sunscreen even under the shade.

Wear an SPF greater than 30 when outside and reapply every 2 hours.

Even one blistering sunburn in one’s past can double their risk to develop melanoma later in life. Be careful to pick the correct sunscreen for your outdoor activities. Wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen that blocks UVA and UVB, with an SPF of 30 or greater, with a physical blocker such as zinc or titanium dioxide. Reapplication is important since sweat and water activities can decrease the amount of sunscreen that remains on our skin. Apply sunscreen to all exposed areas of your skin including the ears, your lips (there are lip balms, lip glosses with SPF 30 sold in drugstores and in our office!), back of the neck, and tops of your feet.

Wear sun-protective clothing, hats, and sunglasses

Check out options of sun-protective clothing made from tightly woven lightweight material. Made not just for little kids, adults too can benefit from wearing these types of clothing in the sun and on the water. Websites such as www.UVskinz.com and www.Coolibar.com make good resources for what to look for when it comes to sun protective clothing options. You can seek similar outfits at your local sporting goods stores as well.

Look for ABCDEs and do the following 5 steps to perform self-skin exams:

Looking for ABCDEs means looking for asymmetry, irregular borders, multiple colors, diameter bigger than the tip of a pencil eraser, and evolution in any of your moles. Those are the characteristics of a mole that may be a skin cancer spot. Look for those signs when you do the following 5 STEPS of a self-skin exam at home:

• Examine your body in a full-length mirror with your arms raised up
• Look at your underarms, forearms, palms, and nails
• Look at your legs front and back, toes and toenails, and soles of the feet
• Use a hand mirror to examine your neck, and part the hair to examines the scalp
• Use a hand mirror to check your back and buttocks

Melanoma in skin of color

In regards to people with darker skin complexion, melanoma is relatively uncommon in people of color. However, when people of color are diagnosed with melanoma, it is often diagnosed in later stages, making the prognosis and making their treatment more challenging. The most common melanoma location in skin of color often involves areas where there is not much exposure to sunlight. This includes areas such as palms of hands, soles of feet, and fingernails or toenails. As UV exposure seems to play less of a role in melanomas in skin of color, it is thought that other risk factors such as a depressed immune system, radiation therapy, genetic mutations, preexisting pigmented lesions, albinism and burn scars may play a role.

¹Wehner MR, Shive ML, Chren MM, Han J, Qureshi AA, Linos E. Indoor tanning and non-melanoma skin cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2012 Oct 2;345:e5909.

²Boniol M, Autier P, Boyle P, Gandini S. Cutaneous melanoma attributable to sunbed use: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2012 Jul 24;345:e4757