There was a recent article on msn.com that talked about myths regarding sun exposure. Although we may think we know everything there is to know about protecting yourself from harmful sun exposure, it’s still good to have a reminder.
Let’s start with the first, and to my mind, obvious. How many of you remember trying to get a base tan so you wouldn’t burn? That was a myth that was really prevalent when I was a kid in northern Ohio. Heck, I hear that often from teens and young adults now. The thinking goes that if you somehow train your skin with incremental tans, you won’t ever get a sun burn. First of all, total myth – you can still get a sunburn on top of a sun tan, regardless of whether you acquired that tan outside under the sun or inside of a tanning booth. In fact, the article quotes a dermatologist who repeats a refrain I’ve heard quite often, no tan is a safe tan; a tan is a sign of skin damage. Actually the direct quote is, “No tan is a good tan, and all tans can serve as a precursor to skin cancer”. That’s right, that bronze that you think is so lovely and healthy? It actually means that your skin is doing whatever it can to try to protect itself from further damage, including skin cancer. Think about that the next time you admire someone’s tan lines.
The next myth concerns where you can get skin cancer. A lot of people think that you can only get skin cancer on areas where you’ve been exposed to the sun. While it is very uncommon, there is a form of skin cancer called acral lentiginous melanoma that occurs on parts of the body that normally are not getting massive amounts of UV – places like the soles of the feet, nail beds, even mucus membranes in your nose. As I’ve noted in a previous post, this type of skin cancer is usually bad news because it’s not detected early.
The third myth is that only old people get skin cancer. Now, when you’re a reckless teen, you think anyone over 25 is old, right? Well, the problem is that melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults age 25 to 29, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. Not protecting your skin in your teens, using tanning beds, and all of the other things that seem like “hey, it’s not going to hurt me now” that we do to ourselves can turn into significant health issues in the not-so-distant future.
The next myth is that you won’t get skin cancer if you use sunscreen. This one’s tricky. Yes, you need to use sunscreen, but you need to use it properly. Too many of us slap on a token amount and head immediately outdoors and then never reapply. We really should be using at least a shot glass’ worth of SPF30 sunscreen, apply 30 minutes before sun exposure, and reapply every 2 hours – more often if swimming or sweating. And who remembers to put sunscreen on their ears, back of the neck, and other spots that aren’t the arms or legs. Heck, I’m guilty of forgetting that spot on the neck/shoulder area sometimes…
The fifth myth is that darker complexions don’t get skin cancer. And that’s an out-and-out myth. Those with darker skin who get skin cancer generally have worse survival rates because it’s not detected early. No matter what your skin color is, definitely see a dermatologist for regular skin exams.
And the final myth, that if you get skin cancer, you can just get it cut out and you’ll be fine. I’m here to tell you as someone who had a melanoma lesion “just cut out”, you will never be free from worrying that the next patch of odd skin is the cancer returning. You will never not have those nights where you wonder if the cancer is back and spreading. You may think you are fine, healthy, and wonderful – but the knowledge that you may still carry rogue melanoma cells will sneak up on you in very unexpected ways. Even if it never reappears, you will never be the same as you were before your diagnosis.