Summer safety for skin care

 LIMA - Bob Hadding didn't have it so bad.

While at work at INEOS in Lima on June 5, the Lima resident took time to have his face checked out in a dermascan machine, courtesy of Allen County OSU-Extension, the Melanoma Research Foundation and local non-profit group Carter's Crusade, which advocates sun safety.

With his head cloaked inside the machine and lit by ultraviolet light, Hadding could see sun damage on his forehead and ears, caused by sun exposure over the years.

"I was surprised at all the freckling," Hadding said of the free demonstration. "You hear so much about how bad skin cancer is. Anything having to do with cancer, you ought to get checked out."

Unbeknownst to many, skin cancer is the No. 1 diagnosed cancer in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates more than 1 million Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer each year. This total is higher than cases of lung, breast, colon, prostate, uterus, ovaries and pancreas cancer combined.

There are several different types of skin cancer, said Cheryl Nagy, director of oncology services for Lima Memorial Health System. Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are more commonly diagnosed, and tend to spread out on the top layer of skin.

In contrast, melanoma tends to spread down through layers of skin and into the body. If left untreated, melanoma could reach lymph nodes or the blood stream, traveling to other parts of the body and spreading. The American Cancer Society also estimated that 2007 would see 59,940 new diagnoses of melanoma, which would result in nearly 8,110 deaths.

Whichever type of cancer is diagnosed, however, Nagy said they tend to have the same causes, with sun damage being the biggest culprit.

"They can all happen because of sun exposure," she said. "It's usually based upon the skin damage you have from sun or wind exposure. If you think about it, your body's first defense for anything is your skin. Your skin truly is the first protective barrier. If you damage that, it just opens up more problems."

Someone's skin cancer risk increases depending on other factors, too, said Hebert Schumm, a physician and vice president of medical affairs at St. Rita's Medical Center. These factors include being fair-skinned, having a family history of skin cancer or melanoma, having experienced bad sunburns in childhood or having a weakened immune system, such as someone going through chemotherapy.

Skin cancer tends to show up as spots or moles on a person's body. These spots can be in unlikely or unnoticed locations, both Schumm and Nagy said. Besides the arms and legs, spots may appear on the neck and back, on the soles of feet, under a fingernail or even on a person's eye.

"You might think, ‘Oh, I smashed my finger and that's a blood blister,' when in fact it could be melanoma," Schumm said. "You look at it and think, ‘Maybe I did that a while back,' and you fail to get it checked."

In spite of increasing awareness, there are still plenty of misconceptions about skin cancer and its dangers, said Nancy Recker, OSU-extension educator for family and consumer sciences. Often these mistakes can lead to trouble down the road.

"A lot of people think that once they get a base tan, that it will protect them," she said. "That does not prevent the skin from getting sunburn or sun damage."

Worse still, people might realize the risk but put it on the back burner, Schumm said.

"It's not necessarily a lack of knowledge or a lack of concern," he said. "They might know they're at increased risk, but they want to be tan for a wedding or for prom."

The good news about skin cancer, however, is that most forms are easily prevented, Nagy said. Staying out of the sun is the only surefire way to prevent skin cancer from developing, she said. Avoiding tanning booths is another.

"The burns people get from the tanning bed often go deeper because the bulb or the ray is right there at the surface of the skin," she said. "I tell people tanning beds are shaped like coffins for a reason. It can kill you, it really can. People think if you do the tanning bed that it's safe, and it's not."

Other measures for preventing sun damage include:

• Wearing sunscreen. Choose something with at least an SPF of 15 or higher. Reapply often and according to directions, especially after swimming or sweating. Not even the highest SPF can completely protect you, and no sunscreen is completely water or sweat-proof.

• Wear sunscreen even when it's cloudy outside. Harmful UVA and UVB rays can still penetrate clouds and cause sunburn.

• Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before you go outside. This gives it time to absorb and protect.

• Keep sunscreen with you at all times. Keep it in the car or leave a mini-bottle on your keychain.

• Wear protective clothing. Wide-brimmed hats, long sleeves, light colored clothing and UVA/UVB protective sunglasses will help keep your skin safe from sun damage.

• Invest in facial lotions or make-up with SPF in them.

• Avoid the sun from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., when rays are at their strongest.

• Be sure kids and babies have adequate sunscreen and coverings (hats or stroller canopies), as severe childhood burns greatly increase the chances they'll get skin cancer later in life.

Above all, be diligent in checking your body for potential melanomas or suspicious-looking moles, Nagy said. Anything that changes, grows, or looks out of the ordinary should be seen by a doctor.

"You really need to do that good skin check," she said. "We are getting into that just as much as we really encourage monthly self breast exams for women and monthly testicular exams for men. When in doubt, check it out."

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THINGS TO KNOW

When is a mole just a mole?

When checking your body for potentially dangerous spots and moles, use this "alphabet" to guide you.

Asymmetry. Melanoma lesions may have an irregular shape (asymmetrical). Benign moles are typically round (symmetrical).

Border. Melanoma lesions may have irregular, ragged or notched borders. Benign moles have smooth borders.

Color. Melanoma lesions may have different shades of brown, blue or black. Benign moles tend to be one shade of brown.

Diameter. Melanoma lesions often are larger than 6 millimeters in diameter (about the size of a pencil eraser). Benign moles tend to be smaller.

Evolution. If the mole "evolves," or changes in size, shape, color, etc., or if it bleeds or does something else out of the ordinary, it could be a melanoma lesion.

Source: Cheryl Nagy and the American Cancer Society

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