Skin cancer is one of the most prevalent and destructive diseases in our world today. While virtually anyone can contract a form of skin cancer, it often occurs in older people. There are many reasons why older people have a greater chance of contracting skin cancer.
One reason is that older people have had more time to be in high-intensity sunlight than younger people. This can lead to more chances of getting a sunburn, which increases your chances of contracting skin cancer.1 In fact, a person is five times more likely to develop melanoma if he or she has had more than five sunburns at any age. Of course, the older you are, the more likely you are to have had more sunburns, which further proves that older people are likelier to have skin cancer than younger people.
Another reason why older people are more prone to contracting skin cancer as compared to younger people is because older people are more likely to have had skin cancer in the past. This increases the odds that you will again face skin cancer at some point in the future.
A third reason why older people are likelier to develop skin cancer is because older people are likelier to have compromised immune systems than younger people. This is because older people are more likely to have had surgeries or to have dealt with serious ailments than younger people, which can make it more likely that they will develop skin cancer.
In addition, the skin of older adults does not heal as quickly as the skin of younger people, making older people all of the more susceptible to contracting skin cancer.2
Skin Aging and Its Influence on Skin Cancer
The aging of the skin can greatly influence how likely it is for us to have skin cancer. This is why older people are more likely to contract skin cancer than younger people.
A vast majority (up to 90 percent) of the visible changes to one’s skin is directly attributable to one’s exposure to the sun. The most damage that occurs from the sun occurs over one’s lifetime, as sun damage to the skin is accumulative.3 Studies show that, based on the average American lifespan of 78 years, over 77 percent of a person’s exposure to the sunlight occurs after age 18, while less than 23 percent occurs before age 18.2
In addition, many skin cancers do not develop quickly. Therefore, even if a person received a higher amount of ultraviolet radiation from the sun in his or her early years, that damage needs considerable time to turn into skin cancer. As a result, precancerous lesions would not become prevalent and known until at least middle age, if not later in life.
Many people consider looking tan from the sun’s rays to be a sign of health and wellness. Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that the sun’s rays accelerate the effects of aging on the skin and increases the chances of contracting skin cancer.
Those who stay out of the sun can often have younger-looking skin than their actual age. One example is where a 40-year-old woman who was particularly careful about staying out of the sunlight for prolonged periods actually had the same “age” of skin that a 30-year-old woman had.3
Skin Cancer Affecting Senior Citizens
As mentioned earlier, older people are more likely to contract skin cancer than younger people. One of the challenges in diagnosing skin cancer in older people is the fact that the skin experiences many changes in it after the age of 40. These changes include wrinkling, sagging, age spots, and other age-related changes.4
What one must be aware of when attempting to determine whether a senior citizen potentially has skin cancer or not is any mole that has a change in shape, color, or size. Any ragged edges that the mole develops or if the mole suddenly becomes raised a little off of the skin are clear signs that that person should see his or her doctor right away. Additionally, any oozy, itchy, scaly, or bloody patches on the skin should also be checked out by a doctor, as such patches are not normal changes to the skin due to aging.5
Older People Especially Have to Be Aware of Skin Cancer
Due to many factors, older people have to be especially aware of skin cancer and their increased chances of contracting it. These factors include the higher likelihood that they will have had more sunburns over the course of their lifetimes, which increases the chances of contracting skin cancer. Older people are also more likely to have compromised immune systems due to diseases or medications, and compromised immune systems make it easier for abnormal cancer cells to grow and spread.
Older people also have to be especially aware of the presence of skin cancer because it is often harder to detect on their skin due to the normal aging process of skin. Wrinkles, sagging, age spots, and other changes to the skin can obscure any changes to moles or the presence of new marks on the skin. These could indicate the presence of precancerous lesions, which can lead to skin cancer.
By monitoring your skin regularly and alerting your doctor to any sudden changes to your skin, you can decrease your chances of contracting skin cancer and increase your chances of full recovery in the event you do contract skin cancer.
References
1 Skin cancer: Risk factors – MayoClinic.com. (2010, August 18). From MayoClinic.com:
www.mayoclinic.com/health/skin-cancer/DS00190/DSECTION=risk-factors
3 Actinic Keratosis. (2011). From the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology:
www.aocd.org/skin/dermatologic_diseases/actinic_keratosis.html
4 Sunburn. (2011 August 29). From MedlinePlus: www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003227.htm
5 Syrigos KN, Tzannou I, Katirtzoglou N, and Georgiou E. Skin Cancer in the Elderly (2005 May-June). In Vivo, 19(3):643-52.
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