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Skin Cancer: Exposed

July 13, 2016

Dr. Travis
Lehman

By: Travis Lehman, MD - Board-certified Internal Medicine Physician

Skin cancer is by far the most common form of cancer. When you consider the fact that the skin is the largest organ of the body, that first fact is not difficult to comprehend. Your skin is designed to keep your bones and organs in place while also serving as a barrier to germs and protecting the rest of your body from ultraviolet (UV) rays.

Many skin cancers are caused by excessive exposure to UV rays from the sun or other sources. With only about three months of summer, many Midwesterners want to stay outside as long as possible soaking up the sun while at the lake, on a bike ride or just lying out in the backyard. While the sun provides a great source of vitamin D, it can also be extremely dangerous if your skin is overexposed.

It’s not how long you’re in the sun that determines your risk of skin cancer. It’s the timing and the pattern in which you are exposed. Risk factors for melanoma and other forms of skin cancer include family history, 10 or more atypical moles, more than 50 normal moles or blistering or multiple sunburns during the first two decades of life.

Below are a few tips to help lower your risk of skin cancer:

Seek shade, especially midday (between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm)
Wear broad spectrum sunscreen that blocks both UVB and UVA light with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher. Reapply every two hours and after swimming, toweling dry or sweating
Apply lip balm with sunscreen protection
Cover your head with a hat to shade your face, ears and neck
Wear sunglasses with 100 percent UVA and UVB absorption to protect your eyes and the nearby skin

Stay safe in the sun this summer. If you suspect or are concerned a mole or skin lesion might be cancerous, see your healthcare provider or schedule an appointment at HRMC Physicians Clinic.

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