‘Prevalent’ but ‘preventable’: Experts urge extra caution this summer amid rising skin cancer concerns
11 News spoke with a dermatologist who said skin cancer can happen to anybody.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - In health news, skin care professionals are reminding everyone to be extra cautious in the sunshine.
May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. It brings awareness to the more than five million cases diagnosed yearly in the U.S.
11 News spoke with a dermatologist who said skin cancer can happen to anybody.
“It’s more common than prostate, breast, colon- all human cancers combined,” Vanguard Skin Specialist Dr. Renata Prado said. “We have more skin cancers than all of them combined. So, it’s a very prevalent disease, and it is a preventable disease.”
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, skin cancer is the most common cancer in America. But when detected early, it is treatable and curable.
Saturday, KKTV spoke with a survivor who said he was diagnosed at 35.
“I’ve had things taken out, had Mohs surgery, had my ear done and different things, so when my dermatologist sees me, he kind of goes, ‘Oh, why do we have this time?!’” skin cancer survivor David Raney said.
David Raney said he grew up spending all his time outdoors.
“And in those days, no one worried about we didn’t even know what sunscreen was,” Raney said. “There was Coppertone tanning lotion and things like that, so if you were anything on your skin, it was to get yourself darker.”
As an adult, David said he battles basal and squamous cell carcinoma- two of the most common types of skin cancer.
The healing process, David said, is a nuisance.
“Because you have to go through a long stage of recovery of scar tissue and that kind of stuff, and it’s something that you’re just kind of always dealing with,” Raney said.
“The most important thing is to protect your skin from radiation from the sun,” Dr. Prado said. “Either ultraviolet radiation from the sun or artificial sources such as tanning beds, and that’s the cause of the vast majority of skin cancers.”
Protective clothing, hats, and sunglasses can help keep your skin protected.
Doctor Prado recommends wearing water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF greater than 30 and broad-spectrum protection against UVA and UVB.
“So we need to be extra cautious; the higher elevation we are, the more intense the radiation we have,” Dr. Prado said.
For early detection, dermatologists recommend knowing your skin.
“If you have any new spots that are not going away, not healing, growing [or] again changing size, shape, color- they should be checked by your dermatologist,” Dr. Prado said.
David also said he recommends adding sunscreen use daily.
For more information on skin cancer prevention, click here.
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