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Dr. Robert Norman
Is skin cancer contagious? Is a SPF 100 double the protection of a SPF 50 in preventing skin cancer? Can having a biopsy spread skin cancer?
Have you ever been told some stories about skin cancer, but you are not sure if the stories are true or false? Here’s a guide to separate fallacy from reality and help you choose the right course of action. Let’s explore some of the common facts and myths about skin cancer and include some tips to reduce your risk.
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States; more than 2 million Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer this year. It’s also one of the most preventable. UV damage accumulates over your lifetime, and using sunscreen can reduce the accumulation of chronic UV damage that is linked to non-melanoma skin cancer and aging.
Most skin cancers, including basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, are highly curable if detected early. Malignant melanoma, one of the most severe skin cancers, can be much more serious and requires special attention.
In order to reduce your risk of skin cancer, you need to understand your risks, protect yourself, and learn the facts behind some of these skin cancer myths.
Myth 1: The only reason you get skin cancer is sun exposure.
Skin cancer generally occurs from too much sun over many years. Although sun exposure is the primary cause of skin cancer, there are other causes, including:
• Family history of skin cancer and other genetic factors
• A weakened immune system
• Ultraviolet (UV) radiation exposure from tanning beds and occupational equipment
• Skin type—people with fair skin and freckles, and multiple or unusual moles have a higher skin cancer risk. Be extra cautious with your blue-eyed, red-haired children.
Dermatologists keep all these factors in mind when they are choosing treatments for their patients. For example, an older patient with a weakened immune system may require a more aggressive type of surgery or chemotherapy to stop a cancer from spreading. And please note—skin cancer is not contagious.
Myth 2: Dark-skinned people don’t get skin cancer.
Over the course of my four decades in practice, I have seen people with every type of skin color, including African American, Hispanic, and Asian, develop skin cancer. Although skin cancer occurs more frequently in lighter-skinned people, the death rates are higher in darker-skinned people. Dark skin doesn’t prevent you from getting skin cancer. You can still get any type of skin cancer, including melanoma. Keep that in mind so you do not delay in getting an examination. Get rid of the skin cancer before it grows. And long-term, excessive sun exposure often plays a significant role in bothersome pigmentary disorders frequently seen in skin of color.
Myth 3: The only way to get vitamin D is with sun exposure.
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that has long been known to help the body absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus, critical for building bone. Laboratory studies show that vitamin D can reduce cancer cell growth, help control infections, and reduce inflammation.
In order to get the vitamin D, you need to stay healthy, you do not need an overabundance of sun. The best food sources of vitamin D are oily fish, including salmon, mackerel, and sardines. Other sources include egg yolks, red meat, and liver. Vitamin D is added to some foods too, including breakfast cereals, plant milks, and fat spreads.
Oranges are one of the fruits rich in Vitamin D as their juice is often fortified with calcium & vitamin D. This is one of the best sources of vitamin D for people who are lactose intolerant and cannot include milk and dairy products in their diet.
Daily exposure to the sun and food rich in Vitamin D will allow you to get enough of this valuable nutrient. Over the counter and prescription Vitamin D can be used to maintain healthy levels. Limiting excessive sun exposure will decrease your chance of getting skin cancer and other sun-related skin problems.
Myth 4: A higher SPF in a sunscreen is much better.
Not true. Keep in mind that SPF protection doesn’t increase proportionately with the designated SPF number. If you use a SPF 30 before you go out in the sun, it will absorb 97% of the sun’s burning UV rays. A SPF 50 absorbs 98% and SPF 100 absorbs 99%. The best idea is to choose a sunscreen with at least a SPF 30, and it might save money. Moisturizers with sunscreens included and SPF 15 sunscreens are better than no sunscreen at all.
The best protection is to avoid too much sun, particularly during the peak hours of 10am and 4pm, and wear protective clothing, sunglasses, and a hat when you are in the sun. The SPF rating only refers to UVB rays. Both UVA and UVB cause sunburn and damage skin, possibly leading to skin cancer, so look for a “broad-spectrum” sunscreen that provides protection from both.
SPF is a relative measure of the amount of sunburn protection provided by sunscreens. It allows consumers to compare the level of sunburn protection provided by different sunscreens.
Let’s say your skin would normally burn after 10 minutes in the sun. Applying an SPF 15 sunscreen may allow you to stay in the sun without burning for approximately 150 minutes (a factor of 15 times longer). Remember—this is a rough estimate that depends on your skin type, intensity of the sunlight, and amount of sunscreen used. SPF is actually a measure of protection from the amount of potential UVB exposure and it is not meant to help you determine duration of exposure.
Myth 5: You don’t need to wear sunscreen on a cloudy day.
False. It is a common myth that you can’t get sunburned on a cloudy day; this is simply not the case. Even under cloud cover, it is possible for the sun to harm your skin and eyes and cause long-term damage. Over 90% of the sun’s rays can pass through clouds, potentially causing sunburn. They may also reflect off other surfaces, like water, glass, and sand. It is important that you protect yourself with sunscreen, even in cloudy weather.
Myth 6: If you have a skin cancer biopsied, it might spread the cancer throughout your system.
Biopsies are the most common way to diagnose skin cancer. During a biopsy, a dermatologist or trained professional takes a small piece of tissue, called a sample, from a suspected tumor or area of concern. Next, a pathologist, a doctor who specializes in interpreting laboratory tests and evaluating cells, tissues, and organs, including cancer, looks at the sample under a microscope to make a diagnosis.
Manipulating a lesion with a biopsy will not spread it through the system. A biopsy cannot spread skin cancer regardless of whether the whole lesion is removed or not.
Although every medical procedure carries risks, biopsies carry a very small risk of bleeding and infection. The benefits of a skin biopsy, a minor procedure, far outweigh the risks.
Check back next month for skin cancer myths 7 – 12.
Dr. Norman is an advanced master naturalist graduate of the FMNP program from UF and a board-certified dermatologist based in Tampa and Riverview. He can be reached at 813-880-7546.
70 books (series editor of 39) ● 300+ articles ● 150 Lectures and Blogs
45 videos and films ● 18 photo calendars and exhibits ● 4 music CDs
Tampa Bay Medical Hero Award (2008)
● Hadassah Humanitarian Award (2012)
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Read more of Dr. Norman’s articles here. https://dunndealpublications.com/dr-robert-normans-articles/
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