By Carol A. Cates, MSN, MBA, RN
Chief Nursing Officer
Odessa Regional Medical Center
I cannot remember a year growing up that I didn’t get a bad sunburn during the summer months. Most summers it was more than once. Sunscreen wasn’t something we ever thought of, we just thought it was normal that you were going to get sunburned when you went to the beach or on a picnic during the summer. With my own kids, it was something we used, but they still had their share of sunburns. We didn’t know then about how important it is to reapply frequently, we just kept going up on the SPF factor thinking that would fix the problem. But now, especially after seeing my brothers and cousins have skin cancers, or pre-cancers removed, I have gotten to be a sun safety fanatic for myself and for the people in my life. Sun safety is important to remember, even on our rare cloudy days.
The most common cause of skin cancer in the US is UV light exposure from the sun or artificial tanning beds. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the US with more than 63,000 new melanoma cases (the deadliest form of skin cancer) every year. 9,000 people die each year in the US from skin cancer. The annual costs of treatment in the US for skin cancer is about $8.1 billion dollars. The statistics are almost nauseating, especially if you know that most skin cancers are completely preventable by practicing sun safety. More than 1 out of 3 Americans reports they have gotten a sunburn each year. 400,000 cases of skin cancers each year, 6,000 of which are melanomas are related to indoor tanning.
Anyone can get skin cancer. People with lighter skin tones are at higher risk for skin cancer, but those with darker skin are generally diagnosed at later stages, when it becomes more difficult to treat. This is why it is so important to check your skin regularly no matter your risk factor. The American Cancer Society (ACS) doesn’t have a specific recommendation for timing, but they do recommend regular skin self-exams. ACS recommends you speak to your primary health care provider about how often you should check your skin but went on to say most physicians recommend a skin self-check once a month.
A skin self-exam is best done in a well-lit room with a full-length mirror. You can use a hand-held mirror to look at areas that are hard to see. It may be helpful to have a spouse, partner, close friend, or family member help you look at hard to see areas, such as your scalp or back. The first time you look at your skin, make sure you learn the pattern of any moles, blemishes, freckles, and/or other marks, so you can see if they change. If they do change, speak to your doctor. Make sure you are looking at every surface of your skin, don’t forget places like underarms, between fingers and toes, under breasts or other skin folds, don’t forget to look around and under nails too. The ACS has a very detailed list on how to do a skin self-exam on their website at www.cancer.org/healthy/be-safe-in-sun/skin-exams.html If you find a new, expanding, or changing growth, spot or bump on the skin, a spot that bleeds and doesn’t heal after several weeks, a rough or scaly patch which might crust or bleed, a wart like growth, a mole (or other spot) that is new or changing in size, shape, or color, or a mole with an odd shape, irregular edges, or a mole that has areas of different colors, show them to you primary health care provider or a dermatologist. As with all cancers, skin cancer is most easily treated early, which means early diagnosis is crucial.
When it comes to skin cancer, the best thing we can do is prevention, by practicing sun safety. The best way to remember sun safety is the phrase slip, slop, slap, seek, slide. Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30 that has UVA and UVB protection (and reapply frequently, especially if you get wet), slap on a hat, seek shade whenever possible, and slide on sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection.
Enjoy the summer sun and be safe.
