Summer Skin Care

Summer brings fun, fun, and more fun. From beach excursions in Panama to world-class barbecue cook-offs in Memphis, the hottest months of the year often are the most exciting. It’s the busiest vacation season, and, next to February and March, more couples are seen walking the aisle during summer. But summer often represents a deadly, dangerous, and despicable ailment – skin cancer. That’s correct; summer doesn’t just represent fun and entertainment. The hottest months in the year often bring more health risks and medical conditions associated with heat and direct sunlight. Children, seniors, and patients suffering from immune disorders are at risk from the damaging rays. Thankfully, there are alternatives to keep safe.

Skin Cancer: Summer Employs a Deadly Assassin

Basking in the sun for hours or enjoying all-day water sports on the lake may seem like fun. But those itchy, burning, uncomfortable sunburns can turn deadly before you realize the dangers. Skin cancer is based into three categories: melanoma, basal cell, and squamous cell (“Melanoma/Skin Cancer Overview”). The most common form of skin cancer is basal and squamous cell (“Melanoma/Skin Cancer Overview”). Both are common and easily treated, if diagnosed soon after exposure (“Melanoma/Skin Cancer Overview”). On the other hand, the more dangerous skin cancer, malignant melanoma, is very difficult to treat and could be potentially deadly (“Melanoma/Skin Cancer Overview”). Melanoma isn’t as common as the other forms of skin cancer, but it seems to be more prevalent among men than women (“Skin Cancer Facts and Statistics”). Men between the ages of 15 and 39 are 55 percent more likely to die from this form of skin cancer than women in the same age demographics (“Skin Cancer Facts and Statistics”).  Experts expect nearly 47,000 new cases of men diagnosed with potentially fatal melanoma in 2016, but they expect more than 29,000 women will be diagnosed the same year (“Skin Cancer Facts and Statistics”). 

While there are several factors that cause skin cancer, doctors at the Mayo Clinic report the condition is a mutation of DNA in the skin cells. Skin cancer occurs when errors (mutations) occur in the DNA of skin cells. The mutations cause the cells to grow out of control and form a mass of cancer cells. Skin cancer begins in your skin’s top layer – the epidermis. The epidermis is a thin layer that provides a protective cover of skin cells that your body continually sheds. 

Ultraviolet light, mostly from the sun, is the primary culprit (Mayo Clinic Staff). Ultraviolet radiation (UV) from sunlight and tanning beds cause the skin’s cells and DNA to break down and mutate into cancerous cells (Mayo Clinic Staff). On the other hand, there are other factors that contribute to the disease, since many skins cancers are caused with UV radiation playing any part in cell mutation (Mayo Clinic Staff).

Melanoma and other skin cancers are detected and diagnosed by medical doctors (MD). Several tests and exams are used to determine if you have skin cancer or are at risk for the condition. First signs of problems usually are discovered during a self-test. Self-tests involve looking for any skin lumps, discolorations, discomfort, rashes, etc. (“Exams and Tests”). Next, doctors may perform a skin biopsy (“Exams and Tests”). During a skin biopsy, doctors remove a sample of the suspicious skin, looks at it under a microscope, and runs blood tests to determine if the cells are mutating or whether skin cancer is present (“Exams and Tests”). Your doctor will take a sample of your skin and have it tested for melanoma. Other tests include checking the lymph nodes to determine whether the cancer has spread, imaging tests to see if cancer is present in other parts of the body, or photographic tests to take a closer look at the cancer itself (“Exams and Tests”). Some tests also include emission tomography (PET scan), computed tomography (CT scan), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (“Exams and Tests”).

Tanning Bed Terrors: Stick with Mother Nature’s Golden Glow

During the early 1990’s, many patients incorrectly assumed indoor tanning solutions were better than direct, natural sunlight found outdoors (ONCOSEC.com). This simply isn’t the case, as tanning beds have the same UV ratings found on the beach and other popular sunbathing sites (ONCOSEC.com). Some experts argue tanning beds may cause more danger than direct sunlight. This is because many tanning bed clients feel they need that “bronzed look” to maintain their beauty (ONCOSEC.com). They will visit the tanning salons more frequently than they would normally go to the beach or lake, therefore exposing their skin to more radiation than previously (ONCOSEC.com).

Often caused by an unfortunate stance on what beauty is perceived to be, many young people feel the need to spend countless hours each year participating in indoor tanning. This practice is known to greatly increase the risk of skin cancers. (ONCOSEC.com).

This condition often is referred tanning addiction within the medical field and among counselors. But it is important to note this is not a true addiction; rather, it is a disillusionment that one is not a pretty as they should be (ONCOSEC.com). In other words, it is closer to anorexia than alcoholism (ONCOSEC.com). 

Frequency isn’t the only concern. Most tanning bed produces about the same amount of radiation as sunlight (ONCOSEC.com). However, the radiation is closer to skin and patients receive more concentrated bursts than provided by the sun (ONCOSEC.com). Increased exposure to this condensed form of UV radiation causes faster mutations in the body and alters skin DNA (ONCOSEC.com). This isn’t to say tanning in direct sunlight is safe, only that tanning beds produce more damaging rays than the sun (ONCOSEC.com). Not to mention the base tanning bed lotion used at most location gives little to no protection (ONCOSEC.com). It has the same SPF4 rating as regular lotion, nearly zero (ONCOSEC.com). 

Seniors and Children: Age Does Matter

Skin cancer may affect everyone, but it is more dangerous to young children and seniors. No one knows how long they will live and should take care of themselves before reaching their golden years. But that’s not always possible or reasonable. For those who attained a ripe old age, without taking precautions for their skin, can skill prevent cancer from ending their life. About 40 to 50 percent of all Americans, regardless of race or gender, will have skin cancer by their 65th birthday (NIHSeniorHealth.com). And more than half of skin cancer-related deaths occur in persons more than 65 years old (NIHSeniorHealth.com). While physicians, medical experts, and researchers know age is a primary factor of skin cancer, they haven’t concluded why older Americans are more at risk (NIHSeniorHealth.com). They do have many suppositions.

One major reason age is a crucial element is none other than time itself. Most skin cancers result from sun damage over the course of our lives, and, since seniors have lived longer, they have had the most sun exposure and sustained the most damage from ultraviolet (UV) light (NIHSeniorHealth.com). It’s not known how much sun it takes to damage the skin, but it’s easily compare to the straw that broke the camel’s back (NIHSeniorHealth.com). Making matters worse, as the damage mounts, senior’s ability to stave it off keeps diminishing. As people age, skin undergoes changes that weaken defenses against skin disease. For example, reduced immune systems, poorer healing capacity, thinner skin, and damage from bodily assaults all contribute to accelerated skin aging and increase the risk for skin cancer (NIHSeniorHealth.com).

On the other hand, younger skin is just as fragile as older counterparts. Not only are children susceptible to melanoma skin cancer, more deadly to them (Dana-Farber Staff). Although melanoma is more commonly found in adults, childhood and adolescent melanoma affects approximately 300 children in the U.S. each year. While melanoma is the least common type of skin cancer in adults, skin cancer in children is almost always melanoma. (Dana-Farber Staff)

Considering children’s skin cancer always is melanoma, this increases health issues and causes serious treatment problems (Dana-Farber Staff). Dr. Carlos Rodriguez-Galindo, clinical director of the Solid Tumor Center at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, told researchers at The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) that children’s symptoms also are different, causing misdiagnosis and delayed treatment (Dana-Farber Staff). “While melanomas in adults tend to turn darker, in children they often are whitish, yellowish or red and may be misdiagnosed as warts.” (Dana-Farber Staff).

Works Cited

Dana-Farber Staff. “Can Kids Get Melanoma? What Parents Need to Know.” The Dana-Farber 

Cancer Institute. 27 May 2015. Web. 30 June 2016. http://blog.dana-farber.org/insight/2015/05/can-kids-get-melanoma-what-parents-need-to-know/.

Mayo Clinic Staff. “Causes.” Diseases and Conditions: Skin Cancer. Mayo Clinic. 10 June 2015. Web. 30 June 216. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/skin-cancer/basics/causes/con-20031606.

NIHSeniorHealth.com. “What is Skin Cancer?” NIH Senior Health. The National Institute if Health. N.d. Web. 30 June 2016. http://nihseniorhealth.gov/skincancer/skincancerdefined/01.html. 

ONCOSEC.com. “Natural Tanning Versus Tanning Beds.” OncoSec Medical. 7 Mar. 2013. Web. 30 June 2016. http://oncosec.com/natural-tanning-versus-tanning-beds/.

SkinCancer.org. “Skin Cancer Facts and Statistics.” The Skin Cancer Foundation. 8 June 2016. Web. 30 June 2016. http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/skin-cancer-facts#men/women.

WebMD Staff Writers. “Exams and Tests.” Melanoma/Skin Cancer Health Center. WebMD. N.d. Web. 30 June 2016. http://www.webmd.com/melanoma-skin-cancer/melanoma-guide/skin-cancer-melanoma-exams-and-tests.

– “Melanoma/Skin Cancer Overview.” Melanoma/Skin Cancer Health Center. WebMD. N.d. Web. 30 June 2016. http://www.webmd.com/melanoma-skin-cancer/default.htm.