Risks of skin cancer exist even on cloudy days
Skin cancer is preventable, yet there are 5 million diagnosed cases of it a year.
It’s the most common cancer in the United States, said Dr. Emily Smith, an assistant professor of clinical dermatology and dermatopathology with MU Health Care.
In her clinical practice, she sees patients with high risk cancers like melanoma.
“If caught early, melanoma is curable with surgery,” she said. “But if it’s caught to late, it can spread to other parts of the body, like lymph nodes and other organs.”
According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association, it kills one person every hour.
“For being a preventable cancer, we see too many cases of melanoma that has spread elsewhere,” said Smith.
Sun is the biggest contributor to the development of skin cancer. Getting one blistering sunburn during childhood can nearly double a person’s chance of developing the disease.
But the sun’s rays are there even when you can’t see them, and protecting your skin is just as important on a cloudy day as it is when the sun is beating down.
“We know about 80 percent of the sun’s rays still pass through clouds,” said Smith. “You’re only getting about a 20 percent decrease, if that, on a cloudy day.”
They’re also more intense around bodies of water, white sand, and snow because the sunlight will reflect off of them. Skiers are actually at risk for sunburn.
“The sun’s rays are even stronger [at higher altitudes],” she said. “Not only are they stronger because you’re closer to them, but they’re reflecting off of the white snow.”
Smith recommends daily sunscreen use, and that can even be in the form of a daily moisturizer. A recent study published in the medical journal JAMA found that some chemicals in sunscreen were entering the bloodstream, and remaining there for almost a full day.
Smith said there need to be further studies done to know if anything that is getting absorbed is actually unsafe. If you do want to avoid chemical blockers, she suggests physical ones.
Check the label on the back of your sunscreen for ingredients like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.
But while suncreen is going to work, protective clothing will also do the trick. Smith suggests wide-brimmed hats, sunglasses, or even clothing with UV protection built in.
“They’re pretty light weight and they wick away sweat,” she said. “I find that myself and my patients stay cooler when we’re wearing this clothing and you don’t have to worry about getting sunscreen all over.”
Seek shade when you can as well, and avoid going out during the hottest parts of the day which are usually between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
People should also do self-checks to make sure they’re healthy. Dr. Smith said you can look for the “ugly duckling” on your body.
“If you have something on your body that looks like nothing else on the rest of your body, if it’s your ugly duckling, if it stands out from the crowd, then that is something that should be evaluated by a primary care provider or a dermatologist,” she said.
Sores that don’t heal are also a sign. Smith said people should always err on the side of caution because if it’s caught early, skin cancer is curable.
“Don’t ever hesitate to reach out to a provider if you have a spot you’re worried about, even if you think it’s something small,” she said. “It’s better to get it checked out early and be told it’s fine, then to sit at home and worry, or let something continue to grow.”
It is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and as part of that awareness, the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center will have free cancer screenings on May 23 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
