While women may not contract skin cancer as often as men, skin cancer is still a significant threat to women as well. There are around 29,000 new melanoma cases each year in the United States, as well as around 3,000 female deaths from melanoma. In fact, melanomas (the deadliest form of skin cancer) make up about 4% of all cancer cases. For women, melanoma is the second most common cancer among those aged 20 to 29 years old.1 This is why it is critical that women do everything possible to lower their chances of contracting skin cancer.
You might think that only older women have to worry about melanoma, but the sobering fact is melanoma is increasing more rapidly in young white women since 1995.2
Additionally, over the past 30 years, the rate of women under the age of 40 contracting basal cell carcinoma (a slow-growing type of skin cancer that rarely spreads unless left untreated for long periods) has increased by more than twice the previous rate. Even worse, the rate of squamous cell carcinoma (a type of skin cancer that grows more aggressively than basal cell cancers) amongst women under the age of 40 has increased by nearly seven times the previous rate.3
One other fact that is not well-known is that women are actually two times more likely than men to develop melanoma until the age of 39.4 This makes it all the more imperative that women begin taking precautions to reduce their risk of skin cancer as early as possible in their lives so that they are less likely to develop skin cancer later in life.
Knowing the Proper Order Is Key To Adequate Protection From the Sun
Most women wear some type or types of cosmetics. Some women also wear some types of topical medications as well. When considering wearing sunscreen to protect their skin from the damaging effects of the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays, many women may be wondering in what order they should be wearing these items on their face. It’s critically important to get this order right, as the wrong order can leave you with reduced or even no protection, as if you never put on sunscreen to begin with.
The order really depends on exactly what you put on your face. Any topical medications should be placed on the face first before the sunscreen.2 This is because, if the sunscreen is applied first, it could disrupt the penetration of the medication and inactivate the active ingredient within the medication, essentially making it worthless.2 Therefore, you should apply any topical medications to your face first.
Additionally, if you also use a moisturizer on your face, this should be applied after the topical medications and before the sunscreen. An added benefit of applying the moisturizer after the medications is that the medications may actually penetrate deeper thanks to the presence of the moisturizer, thereby making the medications more effective more quickly.
If that moisturizer has a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15 or higher, adding a sunscreen to your face is not necessary. If it does not, however, apply a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher next. Afterwards, apply the cosmetics that apply for you in this order – foundation, powder, and blush.2 This will ensure that you have adequate protection against the sun’s harmful UV rays when you are out and about.
Avoiding Tanning Beds is Key to Limiting Your Risk of Skin Cancer
It has been proven that there is a correlating link between the use of indoor tanning beds and a higher risk of melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer.4 Yet, despite this risk, many young women, particularly college students and high school students, are paying for tans at their local tanning salons.4 They do this especially in the spring for college formals and proms. This is a major reason why melanoma is now the most common form of cancer in adults aged 25-29 and the second-most-common form of cancer in the age group of 15-29.5
Skin damage that occurs from ultraviolet radiation produced by these tanning beds accumulates over time and is usually irreversible. In addition, the skin damage that occurs from tanning beds will result in these women aging much more rapidly and developing wrinkles before they should. The more tans they accumulate from these tanning beds early in their lives, the more likely they will be dealing with skin cancer in their later years. The risk of contracting skin cancer increases by 75% when young people begin tanning via tanning beds before they are 35-years old.6
In addition, tanning beds are not well-regulated and there is little oversight on them, as they are classified as “Class I medical devices.”5 This makes it that much easier for younger women to gain access to them, including high school students.
By avoiding tans via tanning beds in their earlier years, women can greatly decrease the risk of contracting skin cancer in their later years.
Making Smarter Choices Can Lead to Greater Chances of Avoiding Skin Cancer Altogether
Many women are especially fond of gaining that “golden glow” from getting a suntan. They find tanning beds are the easiest way to gain that tan, even in the middle of winter. However, they are really setting themselves up to contract skin cancer later in their lives, as well as age themselves by years virtually overnight. By avoiding the temptation to gain that “golden glow” via tanning beds, women will keep themselves younger longer and reduce their chances of contracting skin cancer later in life.
References
1 Indoor Tanning: The Risks of Ultraviolet Rays.(2011) U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved from: www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm186687.htm
2 Skin Cancer Fact Sheet. (2010)American Melanoma Foundation. Retrieved from: www.melanomafoundation.org/facts/statistics.htm.
3 What are basal and squamous cell skin cancers? (2011, June 21). From The American Cancer Society: www.cancer.org/Cancer/SkinCancer-BasalandSquamousCell/DetailedGuide/skin-cancer-basal-and-squamous-cell-what-is-basal-and-squamous-cell
4 Skin Cancer Fact Sheet, op. cit.
5 Indoor Tanning, op. cit.
6 Indoor Tanning, op. cit.
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