Skin cancer is a potentially serious condition. Depending on the type, if left untreated, the cancer can grow and damage healthy tissues and organs. People who are familiar with skin cancer are aware of the fact that the sun’s UV rays are often a cause of it. There are many well-known facts about skin cancer, but what about the not-so-well-known skin cancer facts? There are some things that people may not know about this condition but need to know, and these facts are highlighted below.
Fact # 1 – Skin cancer is 50 percent more commonly diagnosed than all other types of cancer combined. Both men and women develop skin cancer more often than other types of cancer.
Fact # 2 – African Americans, Latinos, and Asians have a lower risk of developing skin cancer in general, but when they do develop it, it’s often more deadly and more aggressive.
Fact # 3 – Sustaining a single major sunburn as a child increases a person’s risk of developing melanoma as an adult. Melanoma is the deadliest form of cancer. This is why using a high-quality sunscreen is very important, even in infancy (six months of age and older).
Fact # 4 – Babies younger than six months of age are a great deal more likely to suffer from side effects of the chemicals that makeup sunscreen, which is why sunscreen is only suggested for children six months of age and older. Young babies have more skin in proportion to their body size than older children and adults, making the absorption of chemicals a great deal more likely. Babies are also unable to cool themselves as efficiently as adults, and sunscreen impairs their ability to perspire in order to cool themselves even further.
Fact # 5 – Men above the age of 50 are twice as likely to develop skin cancer than women, making it more common other types of cancer for men in this age group.
Fact # 6 – The most serious form of skin cancer, melanoma, accounts for over 8,600 skin cancer deaths per year.
Fact # 7 – UVA sun rays greatly contribute to skin cancer in addition to UVB rays. In the past, scientists believed that UVB rays was the sole source of skin cancer related to sun exposure, but it is now known that UVA rays penetrate even more deeply than UVB.
Fact # 8 – One in five Americans will develop some form of skin cancer during their lifetime.
Fact # 9 – Melanoma cases are rapidly increasing, while the two most common types of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, are decreasing.
Fact # 10 – A person suffering from melanoma dies every hour in the United States.
References
American Cancer Society Skin Cancer Info Page – www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/ped_7_1_What_You_Need_To_Know_Abo
The Skin Cancer Foundation Information –
www.skincancer.org/Skin-Cancer-Facts/
Mayo Clinic Skin Cancer Page – www.mayoclinic.com/health/skin-cancer/DS00190/DSECTION=risk-factors
