Skin Cancer Special: Stay Safe in the Sun

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When was the last time you had that mole on your back checked? Or that tiny pink bump on your arm that won't seem to go away? What about that scaly rough patch on your scalp? If never, our advice: get yourself to a dermatologist now — and every six months to a year for a full-body mole check. Some insurance plans will cover it, and it's an appointment you can't afford to skip, say experts. Here's why: skin cancer has more than doubled over the past three decades, particularly for young women like you. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than a 1.1 million cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed this year, the Atlanta-based group predicts, as many as prostate, breast, lung, colon, uterine, ovarian and pancreatic cancers combined.

The most surprising part of this rise: skin cancer is not solely linked with suspicious moles as many people think; it's also about other often-flesh-colored abnormalities that are less obvious, and at the outset, deceptively normal looking. While abnormal moles are a sign that you might be at risk of melanoma (the most well-known of the three common skin cancers and also the most fatal), it's often the lesser-known signs of other skin cancers like basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma that are catching women like you off guard.

"No one knows your body like you do," says Leslie Christenson, M.D., a dermatologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "Chances are, you do notice (and will notice) when something isn't right." Caught early, there's close to 100 percent cure rate for skin cancer. The key is to move quickly by showing anything suspicious to your doctor.

What's your risk?
Knowing your chances of getting skin cancer can help you be even more vigilant. In fact, researchers have found new clues that can shed light on who needs to be on high alert for skin changes that can signal a developing skin cancer. Caught early, they can be removed easily, and are close to 100 percent curable.

> It runs in your family Genetics may predispose you to being more sensitive to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays, which explains why skin cancer is more common in some families and not others. Or how a lifelong sun-exposed surfer may never develop it while someone who keeps exposure to a minimum may. A recent study from Durham, N.C.-based Duke University, for instance, found that when exposed to UV rays, redheads are more susceptible than other hair hues to sun damage regardless of skin tone. Also, don't be fooled into thinking that if you have darker skin, you're more protected against skin cancer. Research from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, discovered a rise in melanoma rates among Hispanics. This study disputes prior thinking that darker skin tones are less prone to damage due to their skin's extra melanin, naturally sun-protective pigment that give skin its color. "All of this suggests that besides time spent in the sun -- a key factor for sure -- there is something else at play that makes some people less resistant to UV, and research points to a genetic link," explains Carol A. Rosenberg, M.D, assistant professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Ill.

> You're a true sun lover It was always thought that women did most of their skin damage -- with regard to the sun -- before age 18. But now it's not just your teenage beach time or that one bad burn at summer camp that matters; it's everyday exposure throughout your life that counts, too. That includes any fresh-air activities at home or on vacation -- from outdoor workouts, to gardening -- time away from a beach chair when you may not realize that sunscreen is crucial. In fact, a study from the University of Cincinnati, in Cincinnati, OH found that most team athletes don't use SPF during workouts. "When you think about the time they spend outside without protection, it seems likely that means they are at higher risk for cancers later in life," says Brian B. Adams, M.D., MPH, a sports dermatologist who led the study.

> You've already had skin cancer -- or suspicious moles/marks removed. A new study co-authored by Northwestern's Rosenberg suggests that women with a single incidence of non-melanoma cancers -- regardless of skin type or past sun history -- have an elevated risk of melanoma later in life. It's a clue that you're genetically more at risk. "We found that melanoma rates more than doubled for those people," says Rosenberg, a lead researcher for the study.