Are You At Risk for Skin Cancer?

Have you ever spent time outside, then headed indoors to find your skin red and sore to the touch? Getting burned by the sun can happen to anyone if you’re not careful — and so can skin cancer. It’s the most common kind of cancer in the United States, and the number of incidents is rising dramatically. But it’s also one of the most preventable.

Risk factors

There are certain genetic and lifestyle factors that increase your risk. Risk factors may vary for certain types of skin cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society, including:

• Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is strongly correlated with many skin cancers. UV rays from the sun or tanning beds harm your skin over time. Your risk for skin cancer depends on how much UV ray exposure you get over the course of your lifetime.
• Fair skin, especially if you also have freckles, blonde or red hair and burn easily. Whites are more than 10 times more likely to get skin cancer than African Americans. Melanin (skin pigment) helps guard you from the sun, but only to a certain degree. So people with darker skin and people who tan still need protection from harmful UV rays. In fact, people with skin of color who have skin cancer are frequently diagnosed at later stages.
• Living in the southern U.S. and areas closer to the equator. Levels of UV radiation are higher closer to the equator.
• Spending a lot of time outdoors. The more time you spend outside unprotected from the sun, the greater your risk for skin cancer.
• Older age. The risk of skin cancer goes up with cumulative sun exposure over time. But younger people can get skin cancer, too. Melanoma is one of the most common kinds of cancer in people younger than age 30.
• Being male. Men have a higher chance of getting skin cancer than women.

• Family history of skin cancer. If a relative has had melanoma, your risk is higher than average. 
• Personal history of skin cancer. If you've had melanoma before, your risk of getting it again is much higher than someone who has never had it.
• History of sunburns in childhood. Exposure to the sun at a young age, especially if you burned, may boost the risk of melanoma.
• Unusual moles or a large number of moles. Most moles will never cause any problems, but some can turn into skin cancer.
• Exposure to chemicals. Workers who are exposed to arsenic, industrial tar, coal, paraffin and some kinds of oil have an increased risk of certain skin cancers.
• Exposure to high levels of radiation. This increases the risk of skin cancer, especially in children who had radiation treatment for cancer.
• A weakened immune system caused by health problems or medications can raise your chance of getting skin cancer.
• Diseases that make your skin sensitive to the sun. Some health conditions like xeroderma pigmentosum, albinism and basal cell nevus syndrome make your skin more susceptible to damage from the sun.
• Long-term skin injury. Having scars, burns or skin damage from disease may slightly raise your risk for skin cancer.
• Smoking. People who smoke are more likely to get squamous cell skin cancer on their lips. Smoking also ups your risk for many other cancers and other health problems. If you smoke, get help to quit.

Staying safe

No matter how many — or how few — risks factors you have, it’s important to guard yourself from the sun. Here are a few suggestions to help prevent skin cancer.

• Avoid being in the sun between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and stay in the shade when possible.
• Use clothing such as wide-brimmed hats to shade the face, neck and ears. Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants made of tightly woven fabric. Use sunglasses that absorb ultraviolet radiation to help protect the skin around the eyes.
• Wear broad-spectrum sunscreen with sun protection from ultraviolet-A (UVA) and ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays. The sunscreen should have a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher. Use every time you are outside (even in the winter months and when it is cloudy). Be sure to reapply every two hours. See your doctor if you discover abnormal moles.

So, make sure to protect yourself from those damaging rays before heading outdoors. Your health will be happy you did!

By Emily Gurnon, Contributing Writer

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Surgeon General’s call to action to prevent skin cancer. Accessed March 28, 2018
American Cancer Society. What are the risk factors for melanoma skin cancer? Accessed March 28, 2018.
National Cancer Institute. Skin cancer prevention. Accessed March 28, 2018.
National Cancer Institute. Skin cancer prevention. Who is at risk? Accessed March 28, 2018.

Updated April 16, 2018