| | |  Health & Beauty | July 2008 
Melanoma: The Dark Side of “Fun in the Sun”
 Jody Cross - HealthNews
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| | If you suspect you have skin cancer, don't put off seeing your doctor. Early detection is important, and may save your life. | | |
American culture could take a lesson from the cultures of Europe, Japan, and other Asian nations of old, where hundreds of years ago white skin was considered to be a status symbol; a symbol of wealth. White skin implied affluence; that such a woman did not have to toil in the sun all day. Wealthy men desired to marry women with the whitest of skin. Tanned skin, on the other hand, implied not only a lower station in life but also was considered to be somewhat "dirty."
American culture seems to have flip-flopped this theory, equating tanned skin with an affluent, healthy lifestyle; an easy life, one centered on relaxing afternoons lounging around the backyard pool, or in the sun at the beach. But America's obsession with tanned skin is taking its toll on our youth.
U. S. government cancer statistics report that from 1980 to 2004, melanoma rates among young adult Caucasian women rose 50 percent. This year, in the United States, about 62,000 cases of melanoma will be diagnosed, and the American Cancer Society estimates that more than 8,400 people will die from this lethal form of skin cancer in 2008.
Melanoma strikes people of all races and skin tones although people with fair skin are the most at risk. C. William Hanke, president of the American Academy of Dermatology cautions that outdoor unprotected ultraviolet radiation is a carcinogen and says, "If you bathe your skin in ultraviolet light long enough, skin cancer is going to develop." Ultraviolet radiation from the sun proves to be the biggest risk factor for developing melanoma.
As reported in the July 10th edition of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, a group of researchers lead by Mark Purdue, of the National Cancer Institute, analyzed more than 20,000 cases of melanoma in young adults between the ages of 15 and 39, covering the years 1973 to 2004. In 1980 the rate of melanoma incidence among young women was 9.4 per 100,000; by 2004 that rate had climbed to 13.9 per 100,000. Researchers also found an increasing trend for thicker and later-stage melanomas which implies that they will be seeing increasing rates of melanoma among older women in the years to come.
Melanoma rates were not found to be increasing in younger men. From 1973 to 1980 they had increased from 4.7 per 100,000 to 7.7 per 100,000, but from 1980 until 2004 the incidence rate remained at 7.7. This, the researchers feel, is an optimistic sign for the possible reduction in melanoma among older men in the future.
Increased awareness and diagnosis can account for some of the rate increases in this cancer among young women, but are unlikely to account for all of the rate increase because data also suggests that the cancers are being found at a later stage. Researchers suspect that the increased use of tanning beds and lamps is one cause of the increase. Researchers have suggested the UV rays from tanning beds and lamps can be just as damaging as the sun's rays, although the tanning studios deny it.
It was also noted that more people in the U.S. are getting sunburned than they did in 1998; and that 16 to 18 year olds have reported that they spend more time at the beach than they did in 1998.
Women are more likely than young men to use sunscreens, and because they do, they tend to feel more protected from the sun's rays, and stay in the sun longer. Doctors caution that applying sunscreen once in the morning and then spending the day in the sun is not adequate protection. They urge people to apply a water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher; one that protects against both UVA and UVB rays, lotion 20 to 30 minutes before going out into the sun, and reapply it every hour or two.
Also they caution to avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., the hottest part of the day, and wear protective clothing including a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses when going out into the sun.
If you suspect you have skin cancer, don't put off seeing your doctor. Early detection is important, and may save your life. |
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