With the number of skin cancer cases occurring in the United States and throughout the world in recent years, it’s no wonder that it is on the minds of virtually everyone. This is making many people wonder, “Am I at risk of contracting skin cancer?” Another common question that is asked is, “What are the major factors that will increase my chances of contracting skin cancer?”
Questions to Ask Yourself When You Are Assessing Your Risk for Skin Cancer
There are several well-known major factors that can increase your risk of contracting skin cancer. Here are some questions for you to ask yourself to determine how likely it is that you will contract skin cancer at some point in your lifetime.
Question #1: How much time do you spend outdoors?
If your answer to this question is, “A lot of time,” you should definitely be paying attention to the information presented here, as the more time you spend outdoors, the more at risk you are of receiving sunlight and its ultraviolet radiation, which is known to be a main factor in causing skin cancer.1
If you do spend a lot of time in the sunshine, you definitely should pay attention to how you answer the following questions, as they will also greatly determine whether all of that sun exposure will exponentially increase your risk of contracting skin cancer.
Question #2: What level of sunscreen protection are you wearing while outside?
If you are outside for any period of time, you should definitely have a sunscreen applied to your skin that has a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15 or higher.2 This will help to block the harmful UVA and UVB rays from the sun that will enter your skin and do damage to it, as well as increase your chances of contracting skin cancer.
If you aren’t wearing any sunscreen while outside, you are really risking your future health, as the chances of your contracting skin cancer in the future increase considerably with each sunburn you receive,3 and your chances of you getting sunburned are much higher if you are not wearing a sunscreen with at least an SPF of 15.
Question #3: I put on sunscreen this morning and have been outside all day – I’m safe, right?
That’s wrong if you only put on sunscreen this morning, regardless of whether it has an SPF of 15 or higher or not. Putting on sunscreen once a day, but spending all day outside will still increase your chances of contracting skin cancer.
“Why?” you ask. That’s because sunscreen needs to be applied every two hours to apply the protection you need from the sun’s harmful UV rays. Sunscreen needs to be applied even more often if you excessively sweat or are in and out of water constantly throughout the day.2 Don’t think that “one time is good enough for the whole day” – this is simply not the case for adequate protection against the sun’s UV radiation.
Question #4: There is no difference in the risk of contracting skin cancer between my friend, who has darker skin than I do, and myself – our risk of contracting skin cancer is the same, correct?
This is incorrect. People who have lighter-colored skin are more likely to suffer skin damage from sunlight than those who have darker-colored skin.4 This does NOT mean that your friend should not be wearing sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher; all people will receive skin damage and increase their odds of contracting skin cancer if you receive too much sunlight and don’t have enough protection on your skin, but those who have lighter-colored skin are at greater risk.4
Question #5: I live in Phoenix, Arizona, while my sister lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota – we both have the same chances of contracting skin cancer from the sun’s rays, correct?
This is also incorrect. Certainly, too much sunlight in any location is not good for your skin. However, where you live actually does matter in terms of the likelihood of increased risks of developing skin cancer. The reason why you have a greater chance of contracting skin cancer while living in Phoenix as compared to your sister living in Minneapolis is because the sun’s higher angle in the sky throughout the entire year causes the level of sunshine for you to receive to be much higher than what your sister receives in Minneapolis.
The closer your location is to the equator, the more direct sunshine you receive as compared to those who live in locations that are farther away from the equator. This is why the risk of developing non-melanoma cancer is double the amount living in Phoenix as compared to living in Minneapolis.5
Question #6: My risk for contracting skin cancer is no greater just because my father and grandfather had it before me, correct?
No, this is also untrue. If you have a history of skin cancer in your family, you have an elevated risk of contracting skin cancer at some point in your life as well.1 This makes it all the more important that you take the necessary steps to protect yourself from the harmful rays of the sun.
Be Aware of the Risk Factors that Can Increase Your Chances of Contracting Skin Cancer
Knowing the risk factors for contracting skin cancer are vital to ensuring that you are on the lookout for signs that you may have skin cancer or precancer. The earlier you spot something abnormal happening on your skin, the earlier you can see your doctor, who can determine whether you have skin cancer or not. This is vital to either preventing skin cancer or treating it in its earliest stages so as to give you the best chance of overcoming skin cancer with the fewest complications.
References
1 Skin cancer – risk factors | Better Health Channel. (December 2009). From Career Council Victoria: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Skin_cancer_risk_factors_and_early_signs
2 Ibid
3 Skin cancer Risk factors – MayoClinic.com. (2010, August 18). From the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research: www.mayoclinic.com/health/skin-cancer/DS00190/DSECTION=risk-factors
4 Skin cancer – risk factors, op. cit.
5 Risk Factors for Skin Cancer | Skin Cancer | Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. (2011). From Seattle Cancer Care Alliance: www.seattlecca.org/diseases/risk-factors-skin-cancer.cfm
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