Here we go again. It's that time of year, with beaming sun and fresh white skin. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people in the emergency room with painfully blistered skin, fever, nausea and chills, often referred to as "sun poisoning". In a few days to weeks, these unfortunate people will be back to normal and out in the sun again thinking their skin has toughened up. That is not the end of the story folks—not by a long shot. Let me tell you how this story may really end. Read carefully, if not for yourself then for your children.
My neighbor is an avid outdoorsman. He has hunted and fished year 'round for probably longer than I have been alive and has evidently soaked up more than his fair share of sun over the years as well. He certainly can't count the number of times he has been burnt on his many outdoor adventures.
About two years ago he started having pain in his leg so bad that it hindered him from the activities that he loved to do. Begrudgingly, I imagine, he went to his doctor to get it checked out. What was found was a femur bone that, in effect, was being eaten away. The lesion on the bone was subsequently biopsied and found to be caused by the skin cancer, melanoma.
He has since undergone multiple surgeries and several rounds of chemotherapy. I am happy to say that he is doing remarkably well considering the circumstances and likely due in no small part to his great attitude and tenacity. He doubts, however, he will ever resume the rigors of offshore fishing. In fact, the last time I talked with him he was selling his boat.
I am relaying this story to you so as to impress upon you the dangers of prolonged sun exposure. While it is true that some skin conditions improve from sun exposure, by and large most of us can expect more and more outcomes like my neighbor's. Health-wise, sun exposure should be looked at in much the same way that cigarettes are looked at. With both, you don't suffer the maximum effects until years after exposure. That sunburn your kid has now will likely be the skin cancer that they suffer from later.
The Center for Disease Control states that more than one million cases of squamous cell and basal cell cancer will be diagnosed this year. Malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer is the most common type of cancer found in 25- to 29-year-olds. At least 59,580 people are expected to be diagnosed with melanoma in this year alone! Malignant melanoma causes 75 percent of all deaths from skin cancer.
WHO IS AT RISK?
Everyone is at risk, period. Some of us have a higher risk than others. Higher than average risk individuals include:
- Those with lighter skin
- A family or personal history of skin cancer
- Constant exposure to the sun
- A history of sunburns early in life!
- Skin that burns easily, freckles or gets red easily
- Blue or green eyes
- Blonde or red hair
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR CHILDREN?
Telling you to stay out of the sun would be pointless, given that I am an avid fisherman and promote the sport of fishing. You can however, minimize exposure to the sun's damaging rays in many ways. Clothing is likely the best way to do this. In the last few years, many great and relatively inexpensive lines of fishing clothing have come out that are light weight and outright comfortable. You won't sweat to death or burn up either. If however, you just can't stand the thought of wearing long sleeve clothing in the spring, fall or summer, you need to lube up with the highest SPF sunscreen that you can find. I prefer to use only one kind, Bullfrog®. They make a quick-drying gel that is not greasy, oily or smelly. Put it on before you leave the house and again later after you have been sweating for a while. For my kids I use a pump spray version of Bullfrog®. All three of my kids are blonde-haired and blue-eyed and this product consistently keeps them from burning. You can swim with it without having to immediately reapply it. It's great stuff!
WHAT IS THIS SPOT?
Now that I have you looking at your skin wondering if you have skin cancer, I think we should go over the different types of skin cancer individually.
BASAL CELL CANCER
Basal cell cancer is typically the most benign type of skin cancer. It can however cause quite a bit of disfigurement if allowed to grow unchecked. As with all skin cancers, it is typically found in sun exposed areas, especially on the face. It often has a smooth, pearly appearance with very small blood vessels on its surface. For treatment it has to be surgically removed and has more than a 90 percent cure rate.
SQUAMOUS CELL CANCER
This can be very ugly looking stuff, or look like no big deal at all—but believe me it can be. Typically it looks and feels scaly and often bleeds easily. It can look like a typical wart or a patch of "rash" to the untrained eye. The early forms of the cancer have been treated topically with freezing, ointments and lasers. Many times squamous cell cancer has to be surgically removed.
MELANOMA
This is scary stuff as my neighbor can attest. It can look like a common freckle, but is usually multicolored and has irregular borders. All suspected lesions need to be biopsied and analyzed under a microscope. Once confirmed, a melanoma has to be surgically removed with wide margins. Even small melanomas have been found to be malignant.
ACTINIC KERATOSIS AND SEBORRHEIC KERATOSIS
(NON-CANCERS)
This is the stuff that grandma and grandpa have on their skin. Actinic keratosis has a rough, scaly texture and is thought to be pre-cancerous. This means that it has the potential to turn into cancer if left untreated. As with anything in medicine, early treatment is the easiest and certainly the most effective. Mostly it is treated with special creams or ointments that help remove it.
Seborrheic keratosis, sometimes called "liver spots" grows to look like rough pieces of rubber that appear to be "stuck" or glued on the skin. It typically continues to grow until it is inadvertently pulled or scraped off. It is not considered a form of cancer and doesn't have the potential to turn into one. No treatment is necessary unless a lesion becomes infected or is in an area that is particularly bothersome.
A WORD OF CAUTION
I am not writing this so that you can diagnose a skin lesion yourself. It is dangerous and way too difficult to diagnose these skin conditions by merely looking at them. Often a biopsy is needed to make an accurate diagnosis. It has been recommended that a full body skin exam be performed on a yearly basis by a physician that is comfortable doing so. I recommend this to you as well. Biopsies are easily performed and usually don't leave much of a scar at all. They are minimally—if at all—painful, so do not let that keep you from getting that "spot" looked at by your doctor.
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