Protecting yourself from skin cancer, what to watch for
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Skin cancer is the number one most common cancer in the United States.
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation (SCF), more than two people die of skin cancer every hour.
SCF says one in five people will develop skin cancer by the time they turn 70. That means you, a family member, or a close friend could come face to face with the disease at some point in your life.
“I normally recommend everybody to have a skin cancer screening every year, more so for those that have risk factors,” said Dr. Kishore Yellumahanthi.
Dr. Kishore Yellumahanthi practices with Huntsville Hospital and runs a weekly skin clinic. He is also an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Dermatology at Vanderbilt in Tennessee.
His career started in India, where he completed his residency equivalent in dermatology. Now, he enjoys treating patients in Huntsville.
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“I’ve done it for so long, I think I’ve seen all varieties of skin cancer,” Dr. Yellumahanthi said.
Dr. Yellumahanthi says a yearly skin cancer screening with your dermatologist is important so you can catch any concerns early. A regular screening can also be good for monitoring any changes to parts of your skin that may happen over time.
While skin cancer is dangerous, Dr. Yellumahanthi said it takes time to develop.
“You know, skin cancer is not something that you’re going to see instantaneously,” Dr. Yellumahanthi said. “Like, for example, you go to the beach or go away for a week, then it’s not like you are immediately going to get skin cancer. Skin cancer is, you know, for the most part, it’s more of a cumulative thing.”
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Dr. Yellumahanthi recommends wearing sunscreen daily and taking other precautions, such as wearing a wide-brimmed hat and protective clothing when outdoors. He also says it is best to avoid spending time outside during peak afternoon hours.
He says applying sunscreen every day can make a difference, even if your only exposure to the sun is driving from point A to point B in your car.
“They may say, ‘Hey, I’m indoors all the time,’ but the reality is you know anytime you get in your car, the glass window, it’s not going to give you protection against UVA, so you can still get exposed to UVA if you don’t use sunscreen,” Dr. Yellumahanthi said.
He also pointed to interesting research that shows higher levels of skin cancer and sun damage on the left side of the face for people in America who drive on the left-hand side of their vehicle and higher levels on the right side for drivers who drive on the right-hand side of their vehicle in Europe.
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When it comes to what kind of sunscreen to use, Dr. Yellumahanthi recommends one with an SPF of at least 30. He said the best options are SPF 30 or greater, broad spectrum, and water resistant.
He also said that you don’t need to empty your wallet in order to stay protected.
“It’s not usually needed for people to buy for something that’s like an SPF 75 or 100,” Dr. Yellumahanthi said. “My recommendation is don’t waste your money trying to buy those because there is very little scientific evidence that anything that’s greater than SPF 50 is significantly better.”
He said that prolonged and repeated unprotected skin exposure can lead to skin cancer. Dr. Yellumahanthi said there are three types of skin cancer that are the most common.
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“Basal cell cancer, squamous cell cancer and melanoma,” Dr. Yellumahanthi said. “I guess most people are aware of melanoma, which is the deadliest of all of them.”
With melanoma being the deadliest form of skin cancer, Dr. Yellumahanthi says you should follow the “A-B-C-D-E’s of Melanoma.”
“Basically, what it means is ‘A’ stands for asymmetry,” he said. “So try to visualize any given mole into two equal halves in any orientation, and both those equal halves should look like mirror images of each other. If they don’t look like mirror images of each other, then that’s the asymmetry. That’s a red flag.”
He says ‘B’ stands for borders. The border of a mole or spot should be uniform. If it is serrated or zigzags, you should get it checked.
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‘C’ stands for color. Dr. Yellumahanthi says if a mole has more than one color, you should get it checked.
“‘D’ stands for a diameter,” Dr. Yellumahanthi said. “Anything more than six millimeters, we try to watch them more closely.”
“‘E’ stands for evolution,” Dr. Yellumahanthi said. “Any kind of change in the mole, like bleeding, crusting, You know, any of the change in size, shape, color, any of those things. Again, red flags.”
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, your risk of developing melanoma doubles if you have had more than five sunburns. However, if caught early, the 5-year survival rate for melanoma is 99%.
Dr. Yellumahanthi said the three most common cancers, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Melanoma and Basal Cell Carcinoma, can manifest in any form.
“It can be like a skin spot, it can be a skin bump, it can be a skin ulcer, or it can manifest as like a changing mole or like a new mole, any of those things” he said.
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