Can The Sun Cause Skin Cancer

What Is The Uv Index

In order to address the growing concern by Canadians regarding changes in UVR resulting from ozone depletion, Environment Canada rates the UV intensity as UV Index on a scale of 0 to 11+ . It can go to the mid-teens at midday in the tropics. In Canada the UV Index is categorized into low , moderate , high , very high and extreme .

The human health effects and precautions relating to the UV Index are summarized in the following table.

Sun Protection Messages, Environment and Climate Change Canada

Global Solar UV Index: A Practical Guide. A joint recommendation of the World Health Organization, World Meteorological Organization, United Nations Environment Programme, and the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection.

The Best Sun Protection Requires Multiple Approaches

A multi-pronged strategy is the best way to protect yourself from the sun. You will get more protection by combining proper sunscreen use with seeking shade when outdoors wearing photo-protective or long-sleeve shirts, pants, and a wide-brimmed hat and limiting sun exposure to the early morning and late evening when sunlight is less direct.

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Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S., and many cases can be prevented with day-to-day sun safety habits. Whether youre going outside for a day of fun or commuting to work, include sunscreen and sun-protective clothing in your daily regimen.

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What Do Studies Show

Many studies have found that basal and squamous cell skin cancers are linked to certain behaviors that put people in the sun, as well as a number of markers of sun exposure, such as:

• Spending time in the sun for recreation
• Spending a lot of time in the sun in a swimsuit
• Living in an area that gets a lot of sunlight
• Having had serious sunburns in the past
• Having signs of sun damage to the skin, such as liver spots, actinic keratoses , and solar elastosis on the neck

Studies have also found links between certain behaviors and markers of sun exposure and melanoma of the skin, including:

• Activities that lead to intermittent sun exposure, like sunbathing, water sports, and taking vacations in sunny places
• Previous sunburns
• Signs of sun damage to the skin, such as liver spots, actinic keratoses, and solar elastosis

Because UV rays dont penetrate deeply into the body, they wouldnt be expected to cause cancer in internal organs, and most research has not found such links. However, some studies have shown possible links to some other cancers, including Merkel cell carcinoma and melanoma of the eye.

Studies have found that people who use tanning beds have a higher risk of skin cancer, including melanoma and squamous and basal cell skin cancers. The risk of melanoma is higher if the person started indoor tanning before age 30 or 35, and the risk of basal and squamous cell skin cancer is higher if indoor tanning started before age 25.

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Artificial Sources Of Uv Rays

Many people believe the UV rays of tanning beds are harmless. This is not true. The best thing to do is to not use tanning beds .

People who may be exposed to artificial sources of UV at their job should follow appropriate safety precautions, including using protective clothing and UV shields and filters.

Skin Pigment And Ability To Tan

Ultraviolet radiation from sunlight affects everybody’s skin to some extent, but the skin’s response varies widely from person to person. Peoples’ sensitivity to the sun varies according to the amount of pigment in the skin and the skin’s ability to tan.

Ultraviolet radiation causes tanning in two different ways: by immediate tanning and by delayed tanning. Immediate tanning causes the skin to darken in response to UVA. This darkening begins during the period of exposure, but fades within a few hours or days. The amount of tanning increases according to the skin’s natural darkness and previous amount of tanning.

Delayed tanning occurs two to three days after exposure to either UVA or UVB. It lasts from several weeks to months, and is maintained by repeated exposure to sunlight. With delayed tanning, the skin increases its production and distribution of dark pigment. The skin also becomes thicker. These changes can follow sunburning or develop gradually over a long period of repeated brief exposures to sunlight.

Some people burn easily after the first hour of sun exposure following winter or any period away from the sun. Other people, especially those with dark skin, rarely burn. This difference in reaction makes it possible to classify skin into one of six different types .

Table adapted from: SunSmart Victoria , Australia

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What You Need To Know About Sunburn

• Some people are more prone to sunburn: Skin type determines your susceptibility people with fair skin run the greatest risk. But anyone can get burned.
• Even without a burn, sun exposure raises skin cancer risk. Even if you are tan or your skin type is dark and your skin does not redden, the sun can cause cellular damage that can lead to cancer.
• The UV index is a factor: The sun varies in intensity by season, time of day and geographic location. A high UV index means that unprotected skin will burn faster or more severely. Be careful, especially when the sun is strongest. But even when the index is low, the risk remains. Protect yourself every day of the year.
• You can burn on an overcast day: Be careful even when the sun isnt shining. Up to 80 percent of UV rays can penetrate clouds.
• Light pink is still bad: No matter how mild, every burn is a sign of injury to your skin that can result in premature aging and skin cancer.

How Is Skin Cancer Treated

Treatment of skin cancer depends on the type and extent of the disease. Treatment is individualized and is determined by the type of skin cancer, its size and location, and the patient’s preference.

Standard treatments for non-melanoma skin cancer include:

• Mohs surgery : Skin-sparing excision of cancer with complete peripheral and deep margin assessment.
• Excision.
• Electrodesiccation and curettage: Scraping away the skin cancer cells followed by electrosurgery.
• Cryosurgery.
• Drugs .

Standard treatments for melanoma include:

• Wide surgical excision.
• Sentinel lymph node mapping : to determine if the melanoma has spread to local lymph nodes.
• Drugs .
• Radiation therapy.
• New methods in clinical trials are sometimes used to treat skin cancer.

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How Can I Help Prevent Skin Cancer

Nothing can completely undo sun damage, although the skin can somewhat repair itself, especially with on-going sun protection. So, it’s never too late to begin protecting yourself from the sun. Your skin does change with age — for example, you sweat less and your skin can take longer to heal, but you can delay these changes by staying out of the sun. Follow these tips to help prevent skin cancer:

• Apply broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor of 30 or greater , zinc oxide , and iron oxide 20 minutes before sun exposure and every 2 hours thereafter, more if you are sweating or swimming. Check the label for directions.
• Select clothing, cosmetic products, and contact lenses that offer UV protection.
• Wear sunglasses with total UV protection and a wide-brimmed hat to shade your face and neck.
• Avoid direct sun exposure as much as possible during peak UV radiation hours . The UVA rays, which cause premature skin aging and initiate skin cancers, are out all day long.
• Perform skin self-exams regularly to become familiar with existing growths and to notice any changes or new growths.
• Eighty percent of a person’s lifetime sun exposure is acquired before age 18. As a parent, be a good role model and foster skin cancer prevention habits in your child.

How Is Skin Cancer Diagnosed

Skin cancer is suspected by its appearance on the skin. The diagnosis must be confirmed with a biopsy. This involves taking a sample of the tissue, which is then placed under a microscope and examined by a dermatopathologist, a doctor who specializes in examining skin cells. Sometimes a biopsy can remove all of the cancer tissue and no further treatment is needed.

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What Causes Melanoma Skin Cancer

Many risk factors for melanoma have been found, but its not always clear exactly how they might cause cancer.

For example, while most moles never turn into a melanoma, some do. Researchers have found some gene changes inside mole cells that may cause them to become melanoma cells. But its still not known exactly why some moles become cancerous while most dont.

DNA is the chemical in each of our cells that makes up our genes, which control how our cells function. We usually look like our parents because they are the source of our DNA. But DNA affects more than just how we look.

Some genes control when our cells grow, divide into new cells, and die:

• Genes that help cells grow, divide, and stay alive are called oncogenes.
• Genes that keep cell growth in check, repair mistakes in DNA, or cause cells to die at the right time are called tumor suppressor genes.

Cancers can be caused by DNA mutations that keep oncogenes turned on, or that turn off tumor suppressor genes. These types of gene changes can lead to cells growing out of control. Changes in several different genes are usually needed for a cell to become a cancer cell.

How Does The Sun And Uv Cause Cancer

• Too much ultraviolet radiation from the sun can damage DNA in your skin cells and cause skin cancer.

• In the UK almost 9 in 10 cases of melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, could be prevented by staying safe in the sun and avoiding sunbeds.

• Getting sunburnt just once every two years can triple your risk of melanoma skin cancer, compared to never being burnt.

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Whos At Risk Of Skin Damage From Sunbeds

Everyone who uses sunbeds increases their risk of UV damage and skin cancer, but some people are more at risk of burning than others. This includes people with one or more of the following:

skin that burns easily light or fair coloured skin, hair, or light coloured eyes lots of moles or freckles a history of sunburn a personal or family history of skin cancer

It is important to know how you can protect yourself. Find out more about your skin type and risk of sunburn.

Will One Bad Sunburn Give You Skin Cancer

by Garth Sundem | Jul 27, 2015 | Latest News, Patient Care

Recently at the Colorado Melanoma Foundation booth at the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, a girl learns theres no such thing as too much sunscreen.

It seems like everybodys got a story about that one bad burn the time you fell asleep next to the pool and tattooed a white handprint on your lobster-red chest, or forgot to pack the sunscreen while hiking a Colorado 14er. As you know, sunburn increases your chance of developing melanoma and other skin cancers. But what about just one bad burn? And what can you do about it now?

Were still waiting for a definitive one-sunburn study to show us exactly how much melanoma risk increases with one blistering burn, but to the best of our knowledge, it seems like the answer is about 50 percent. One bad burn as a child makes you half-again more likely to develop melanoma as an adult, says Neil Box, PhD, investigator at the University of Colorado Cancer Center and assistant professor in the Department of Dermatology at the CU School of Medicine. Dr. Box is also president of the Colorado Melanoma Foundation.

This year, about 250,000 people will be diagnosed with melanoma and 60,000 people will die from this most dangerous form of skin cancer. While the increased risk accompanying one bad burn is still imprecise, studies show that the overall lifetime risk of developing melanoma climbs 80 percent with 5 blistering burns in childhood.

Colorado Cancer Blogs

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What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Skin Cancer

The most common warning sign of skin cancer is a change on the skin, typically a new mole, a new skin lesion or a change in an existing mole.

• Basal cell carcinoma may appear as a small, smooth, pearly, or waxy bump on the face, or neck, or as a flat, pink/red- or brown-colored lesion on the trunk, arms or legs.
• Squamous cell carcinoma can appear as a firm, red nodule, or as a rough, scaly, flat lesion that may itch, bleed and become crusty. Both basal cell and squamous cell cancers mainly occur on areas of the skin frequently exposed to the sun, but can occur anywhere.
• Melanoma usually appears as a pigmented patch or bump. It may resemble a normal mole, but usually has a more irregular appearance.

When looking for melanoma, think of the ABCDE rule that tells you the signs to watch for:

• Asymmetry: The shape of one half doesn’t match the other.
• Border: Edges are ragged or blurred.
• Color: Uneven shades of brown, black, tan, red, white or blue.
• Diameter: A significant change in size .
• Evolution: Changes in the way a mole or lesion looks or feels .

The Winter Months Are Still Dangerous

Even though the sun doesnt seem as strong in the winter months, its just as important to protect yourself harmful UVB rays are present year-around.

If youre outside, any uncovered areas of your body are exposed to UV rays, Susan Chon, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Dermatology at MD Anderson, said in an interview. Though cooler temps can be deceiving, if youre outside, youre still at risk for skin damage. In fact, people enjoying the great outdoors and the snow in the winter to be extra vigilant, since snow reflects light.

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How Do I Reduce My Risk For Skin Cancer While Driving

To limit your UV exposure and risk for skin cancer while driving, consider these tips for sun safety3,7 :

If youre worried about skin cancer recurrence, or even if youve never been diagnosed with skin cancer, consider these steps to reduce skin cancer and sun exposure while driving . In addition to regular skin checks, self-exams, and other sun-protection strategies, limiting your in-car sun exposure may reduce your risk of future skin damage or cancers.

Can Tanning Beds Cause Skin Cancer

Can you get skin cancer from tanning beds? Yes in fact, you are more likely to get skin cancer from tanning beds than you are to get lung cancer from smoking. When it comes to tanning beds and skin cancer, statistics show that there is no such thing as a safe indoor tan. In fact, any tan at all is a sign of skin damage that accelerates aging and leads to an increased risk of cancer!

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What Light Cannot Cause Skin Cancer

What light Cannot cause skin cancer? They are also thought to cause most skin cancers. UVC rays have more energy than the other types of UV rays. Fortunately, because of this, they react with ozone high in our atmosphere and dont reach the ground, so they are not normally a risk factor for skin cancer.

Can visible light cause skin cancer? Visible and infrared light do not cause sunburn and they are not known to directly be a skin cancer risk.

What light can cause skin cancer? Most cases of skin cancer are caused by overexposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun, tanning beds, or sunlamps. UV rays can damage skin cells.

Is visible light good or bad? Visible light is the main component of solar radiation and is the primary cause of the greenhouse effect. Recent evidence suggests that High Energy Visible light is harmful to skin and other evidences seem to point out a beneficial effect of longer wavelengths.

What To Do When You Get Sunburnt

The best thing to do is to stay out of the sun, cover up when you have to go outside and give your skin time to heal. Drink plenty of water, use cool compresses and pain medication if necessary and see your GP if you think the burn is more severe than can be handled at home. For more advice, please see the NHS website on sunburn.

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Can Avoiding The Sun Cause Skin Cancer

Of course you want to wear sunscreen.

Ninety percent of skin aging is due to sun exposure. More people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year than all other cancers combined.

Its a no-brainer. The minute the weather gets warm enough to wear short sleeves and sundresses, you buy a big bottle of sunscreen

And you use it EVERY day, on EVERY inch of your body.

But Dr. Joseph Mercola wants you to think twice.

The recommendation to avoid sun exposure and always use sunblock when outdoors may be the greatest public health mistake of the 20th century, he says.

What??!