Summer is a great time to get outside and soak up some sun. Weekend afternoons spent on the water, lounging at the beach or working in the backyard are part and parcel of many people’s summers. making June, July and August some of the most relaxing, enjoyable months of the year.
Skin damage may be the furthest thing from many people’s minds when they’re planning to spend summer afternoons outdoors. However, the American Cancer Society notes that no one is immune from the damage that can be caused by ultraviolet rays from the sun. That includes people with naturally darker skin. According to the ACS, people with light skin are much more likely to suffer from skin damage caused by the sun’s UV rays, and such individuals also are at greater risk for skin cancer. But darker-skinned individuals of all ethnic backgrounds also can suffer from UV-related skin damage.
Fair skin is not the only factor that can make people more vulnerable to skin-related sun damage or even skin cancer. The World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research report that non-melanoma skin cancer is the fifth most commonly occurring cancer in the world, while melanoma is 19th on that list. Such statistics underscore the importance of recognizing those factors that could increase your risk for sun-related skin damage, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes is one of the risk factors for skin cancer.
The ACS urges all people to be careful in the sun, and people who have any of these risk factors should be especially careful.
- A past skin cancer diagnosis
- A family history of skin cancer, especially melanoma
- The presence of many moles, irregular moles or large moles on your skin
- You have freckles and burn before tanning
- You have blue or green eyes, or blond, red or light brown hair
- You live or vacation at high altitudes, as UV rays are stronger the higher up you are
- You live or vacation in tropical or subtropical climates
- You work indoors all week and then get intense sun exposure on weekends
- You spend a lot of time outdoors
- You have been diagnosed with certain autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, or lupus)
- You have certain inherited conditions that increase your risk of skin cancer, such as xeroderma pigmentosum or nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome, also known as Gorlin syndrome
- You have a medical condition that weakens your immune system, such as infection with HIV
- You have had an organ transplant
- You take medicines that lower or suppress your immune system
- You take medicines that make your skin more sensitive to sunlight
Summer is a great time to get outdoors. But it’s imperative that all people, regardless of their skin tones, take steps to protect themselves from sun-related skin damage.
-Metro Creative Graphics
