Causes & Risk

 


Although some people just have a genetic predisposition to contracting skin cancer, the main cause of this disease is due to harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation, whether it comes from the sun or from a heat lamp at Micky Dees. You can't see or feel UV rays, so it's easy to overlook their effects on us. (but oh, baby! watch out!) The Department of Health and Human Services has actually added ultraviolet radiation to its list of more than 200 known substances that cause cancer.

There are two main components to UV light:

• UVA -higher energy light than UVB that penetrates deep into the skin causing damage and burns, also contributes to skin cancer


• UVB -this is the one, primarily, that induces sunburn and skin cancer

Our culture generally has viewed a nice, bronze tan as a sign of health, vigor and attractiveness (though this was not the case in days of olde). Ironically, nothing could be further from the truth. A tan is your skin's response to cell damage. It creates more melanin, or pigment to help protect itself. There is no such thing as a "safe tan" (maybe besides that spray-on stuff). Most people do not know that they are doing damage to themselves being out in the sun, so they spend hours rubbing themselves in baby oil with giant reflectors in front of their faces trying to catch as many precious 'rays' as possible. And even when summer is over, and it's 30 degrees outside, people can pay to bake at artificial tanning salons so that they can keep their fabulous tan.

 

To read an interesting article about young people and their obsessions with tanning click here.

 

**Light used in tanning beds is just as bad as the sun. Artificial UV rays are equally as potent as natural UV rays, otherwise tanning beds wouldn't work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although darker skinned people are less susceptible to UV damage, skin cancer does discriminate based on ethnicity or color; anyone can develop skin cancer. There are a number of factors that put some people at a higher risk than others:


• Light or fair skin


• Red, blonde, or light brown hair


• Tans poorly


• Light eyes (blue, green, grey)


• Family history of skin cancer


• Personal history of skin cancer or atypical moles


• Freckles


• New or changing moles


• Excessive exposure to sun (or UV radiation)


• Location (places with intense sunlight or high elevation)


• Reduced immunity


• Male

 

(Caption from ad at above right says, "A special ultraviolet camera makes it possible to see the underlying skin damage done by the sun. And since 1 in 9 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime, what better reason to always use sunscreen, wear protective clothing and use common sense.")

 

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