With over 3.5 million Americans contracting skin cancer each year, skin cancer is definitely a disease that you must be aware of in order to lower your chances of contracting it.1 It is vital to know exactly what steps you can take to lower your risks of contracting the most common of all cancers. Many of these steps are not difficult to follow, yet can greatly increase your chances of becoming another person who develops skin cancer.
Reducing Your Exposure to the Sun in Order to Prevent Skin Cancer
One of the most important recommendations made to reduce your chances of contracting skin cancer is to reduce as much exposure to the sun and its ultraviolet radiation as possible. Doing this will enable you to reduce your risk of many types of skin cancer, including melanoma and non-melanoma.2
It is important to note that the damage from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation is cumulative, meaning that it builds up over time. Therefore, it is important to begin taking steps to reduce your exposure to the sunlight as much as possible from this moment forth, as every step you take now to reduce your exposure will only benefit your chances of avoiding skin cancer in the long run.
Specific Steps to Reduce Your Exposure to the Sun
The highest amount of sun exposure you can receive is between 10 A.M. to 4 P.M.3 As a result, you should limit the amount of time you spend outdoors during this time period. This is especially true if you live in areas that have continuous sunshine or if you live in an area nearer to the equator, as the sun’s rays remain stronger and more direct throughout the year as compared to locations that are farther away from the equator. 
If you have to be out in the sunshine for an extended period, make sure to apply a sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 15 or higher.4 The SPF should be 30 or higher if you have skin that is prone to tanning easily, if you are constantly in water (such as in a pool or lake), or if you excessively sweat. The sunscreen should also be a broad spectrum sunscreen that protects against the sun’s UVA and UVB rays, both of which can cause skin damage and skin cancer.5
You should also wear sun-protective clothing if you spend any significant amount of time outdoors. This clothing should definitely cover the face, ears, and neck, all prime areas where sunburn can occur, especially since many people forget to apply sunscreen to these parts of the body. Wearing sunglasses that have lenses that can block 100% of both UVA and UVB light will help to protect your eyes.
Other Steps to Take to Reduce Your Chances of Contracting Skin Cancer
It is highly recommended that you avoid all types of tanning salons, tanning beds, and sun lamps, as these devices have been linked to squamous cell skin cancer and melanoma. In addition, these devices are not well regulated, as they are classified as “Class I medical devices.”6
You should self-examine your skin at least once a month for any signs of new moles, skin lesions, or other changes to your skin. Early detection of anything unusual is key to limiting your risk of contracting skin cancer. This will allow your doctor to professionally examine the unusual marking to see if it is cancerous or not and whether any action should be taken to reduce your chances of contracting skin cancer.
It is especially important to monitor your skin and take the necessary preventative measures mentioned above if you have a history of contracting skin cancer in your family, as this makes it more likely that you will also contract a form of it at some point in your life.
Major Risk Factors for Developing Skin Cancer
While everyone should be on guard for signs of marks that could lead to the development of skin cancer, there are select groups of people who should really be on the lookout for developments of skin cancer.
These groups include the following people7:
- Those who have light-colored skin
- Those who have freckles
- Those who have skin that will often burn before tanning
- Those who have had actinic keratoses (precancerous skin lesions) in the past
- Those who have albinism (a lack of skin pigment)
- Those who are male, as men are twice as likely to develop skin cancer as women are
- Those who are older, as they have more cumulative skin damage from the sun’s rays due to their longer exposure to the sun
- Those who have been treated for skin cancer in the past
- Those who have a history of skin cancer in their families
- Those who live in places closer to the equator because of the greater concentration of the sun’s rays in these areas
- Those who spend a great deal of time indoors throughout the week, then get much sun exposure over a short period of time
If you belong to one or more of the above groups, it is vital to your long-term health to follow the preventative steps mentioned above to maximize your risk reduction of contracting skin cancer at some point in your life.
Taking Preventative Measures is Key to Reducing Your Skin Cancer Risk
The earlier you start taking preventative measures to reduce your skin cancer, the better your chances you can avoid contracting the disease altogether. Even if you are middle-aged or older, you still can improve your chances of avoiding skin cancer by taking steps now to reduce your exposure to the sun.
Keep in mind that sun damage is cumulative, so while you may not be able to remove the damage that you received in your earlier years, you still can lower your risk of developing skin cancer by reducing your exposure now and throughout the rest of your life, as accumulating more rays will only increase the odds that you develop skin cancer at some point in your life.
References
1 Skin Cancer. (2011). American Academy of Dermatology. Retrieved from: www.aad.org/media-resources/stats-and-facts/conditions/skin-cancer
2 Skin Cancer. (2011 April 11). MedlinePlus. Retrieved from: www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/skincancer.html
3 Skin Cancer: Reduce Your Risk with “Safe-Sun” Guidelines – July 15, 2002 – American Family Physicians. (2002, July 15). From the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP): www.aafp.org/afp/2002/0715/p310.html
4 Ibid
5 What is Ultraviolet (UV) Radiation? (2011). Learn About Cancer: www.cancer.org/Cancer/SkinCancer-Melanoma/MoreInformation/SkinCancerPreventionandEarlyDetection/skin-cancer-prevention-and-early-detection-what-is-u-v-radiation
6 Ibid
7 Skin Cancer Risk Factors. (2009, May 5). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from: www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/basic_info/risk_factors.htm
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