“No matter your age or level of sun damage, it’s never too late to take care of your skin — start protecting it now,” says Catherine Pisano, MD, M.D., a Mohs micrographic surgeon and cutaneous oncologist at Harvard Medical School.
Here’s what the experts said about protecting your skin this summer.
How common is sun damage?
“It’s very common,” says Mary L. Stevenson, M.D., associate professor of dermatology at the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine. “Two different ranges of light wavelengths cause different forms of skin damage.”
While ultraviolet A (UVA) rays age the skin faster, ultraviolet B (UVB) rays can cause “DNA damage that turns healthy cells into precancerous or cancerous cells,” Pisano said. “The damage can take years to show up,” so a sunburn in your 20s could lead to skin cancer in your 50s.
The environment Attacking our skinShadi Kourosh, an associate professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School, agreed.
“We are learning more and more about the role of other factors, such as visible light. Infrared (heat) radiation “Air pollution causes skin cancer,” Kouros said, “and there is evidence that air pollutants from smog and wildfires can corrode the skin barrier and cause DNA damage.”
How common is skin cancer?
9,500 cases of skin cancer According to the American Academy of Dermatology, someone in the United States is diagnosed with cancer every day, making it the most common cancer in the country.
“Basal cell carcinoma is the most common, followed by squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma,” Stevenson said. More than 8,000 people are expected to die from melanoma this year in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society.
Squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma form in the outermost layer of the skin. Malignant melanoma, on the other hand, develops from cells called melanocytes and can reach the deepest layers of the skin, making it the most deadly.
“The five-year survival rate for basal cell carcinoma is nearly 100 percent,” says Stacey P. Salob, clinical assistant professor at Weill Cornell Medical College. “But if basal cell carcinoma is left untreated, it can grow and ulcerate, which can become painful, infected, and destroy nerves, fascia, and cartilage. Squamous cell carcinoma is also curable if caught early. Only 2 percent of cases metastasize, but at that point it becomes dangerous. Once metastasized, the five-year survival rate is 40 percent.”
“If it’s detected early, the five-year survival rate for melanoma is over 99 percent. But if it reaches the lymph nodes, Skin Cancer FoundationOnly a 74% chance of survival, which drops to 35% if the disease spreads to other organs.”
How can I prevent skin cancer?
“You can’t completely eliminate your risk of skin cancer,” says Jeremy Brauer, M.D., clinical associate professor of dermatology at NYU Langone Health, “but you can reduce your risk by practicing sun protection practices, including applying UVA/UVB broad-spectrum sunscreen properly; [ultraviolet protection factor] Wear clothing such as a hat and sunglasses, seek shade, and schedule outdoor activities before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. whenever possible.”
“Taking more sun protection measures now can be very effective in not only reducing the sun damage you’ve already suffered, but also in preventing further sun damage,” Pisano said.
Recent studyThe Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit advocacy and research organization, said only 25 percent of sunscreens on the market meet its standards for safety and effectiveness. Best sunscreenThey all contain titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, making them “mineral” sunscreens.
What sunscreens are available in Europe and Asia but not in the US?
“In the U.S., there are relatively few ingredients that block UVA rays. In Europe and Asia, there are a lot of good ingredients that block UVA rays effectively,” Salob said, but added that many U.S. sunscreens are effective.
In the United States, The Food and Drug Administration regulates Selling a sunscreen over the counter is a long process. Bemotrizinolis a broad-spectrum UV filter ingredient found in many European and Asian sunscreens, and is one of several sunscreen ingredients awaiting FDA approval for sale in the U.S. market.
Are there any new treatments for people with sun damaged skin? What are the side effects? When is it used?
People with a history of multiple skin cancers or precancerous lesions called actinic keratoses may be treated with topical creams (often Stevenson said that anti-cancer drugs (such as calcipotriene) and photodynamic therapy (PDT), in which a solution applied to the skin is activated with light, are being developed to help treat and reduce pre-cancerous cells.
“The treatment creates a strong immune response to DNA damage and reduces the risk of developing skin cancer from damaged cells. Neither is a ‘one and done’ treatment,” Pisano says. “It needs to be done as maintenance therapy, maybe once a year. Fluorouracil needs to be applied at home, and PDT needs to be done at home.” [is] Because it is an in-house treatment, patients can decide which is best for them.”
These treatments are FDA-approved to treat precancerous spots (also called actinic keratoses), but Salob said they are also “sometimes used to treat superficial skin cancers. Another topical medication, imiquimod, is FDA-approved for actinic keratoses as well as basal cell carcinoma. It stimulates the immune system to treat areas affected by skin cancer.”
Laser treatment is Fractional Resurfacing (or Fraxel) can reduce precancerous changes and lower your risk of developing certain cancers.
Can these new treatments give people confidence that they can ward off the threat of skin cancer?
Treatments can help, but they’re not enough: “Even with these treatments, you can still develop skin cancer, which is why it’s important to have regular skin exams by a board-certified dermatologist,” Pisano says.
When should I see a doctor if I notice something wrong with my skin?
“Any acne, bug bites, red bumps or anything that doesn’t go away within four to six weeks, or that is itchy, painful, bleeding or growing, should be seen by a dermatologist,” Pisano said.
The American Academy of Dermatology ABCDE method It can help detect the possibility of melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer. Here are some things to look out for:
aSymmetry: One half of a skin patch does not match the other half.
BOrderly: The boundary is not smooth, but rather jagged and irregular.
CColor: The spots are uneven in color and can be shades of brown, black, gray, red, or white.
isDiameter: Spots on the skin larger than the tip of a pencil eraser (6 mm).
pictureChanges: Spots may appear or change. Melanomas grow and change over time.
