According to the American Academy of Dermatology, skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the US. It is estimated that more than 8,000 Americans get diagnosed with skin cancer daily. The American Cancer Society estimates that by the end of this year, there will be more than three million new cases of skin cancer. Detecting skin cancers early significantly improves the chances of treatment and recovery. As a result, you should self-examine yourself or go for teaneck skin cancer screenings regularly. The American Cancer Society recommends that if you are aged between 20 and 40, you should have specialist skin examinations after every few years.
Subsequently, the factors below may increase your skin cancer risk.
- Excessive exposure to the sun
The epidermis, the outer layer of your skin, contains skin cells that create a constant supply of melanin. Melanin is a natural pigment that gives color to your skin, eyes, and hair. The natural pigment also protects your skin against the harmful effects of the sun’s UV rays.
However, more melanin production is triggered when you are exposed to the sun’s UV rays for an extended period or intense sunlight radiation for a short time. Therefore, your skin will become darker.
Tanning or darkening of your skin promotes DNA destruction, the appearance of premature aging signs, and skin cancer.
- Genetics
If your family has a history of skin cancer, you or your children may also become at high risk of the condition. And if your doctor once diagnosed you with skin cancer, there is a higher possibility of the disease reappearing.
Other inherited health conditions, such as Gorlin syndrome and xeroderma pigmentosum, also put you at high risk of skin cancers. Xeroderma pigmentosum is a hereditary condition characterized by extreme sensitivity to the sun, leading to increased susceptibility to skin cancer and other health problems.
Gorlin syndrome is a rare, inherited medical condition that destroys your tissues and organs. You are at high risk of basal cell skin cancer during adolescence or early adulthood when you have Gorlin syndrome.
- Age
If you are older, it means you have been exposed to the sun’s harmful UV rays for many years, which puts you at a higher risk of skin cancer.
Therefore, it is always recommended that you safeguard yourself against the harmful effects of the sun by wearing a wide-brim hat that provides cover for your head, face, ears, and neck. Also, seek shade, apply sunscreen, wear sunglasses blocking harmful UV rays, and wear proper clothing.
- Unhealthy lifestyle
A poor lifestyle that makes you prone to skin cancers includes extreme exposure to the sun’s UV rays, toxins, and smoking.
Smoking exposes your mouth and other organs to toxic chemicals that get into your bloodstream. If you smoke excessively and frequently, you become at high risk of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer that appears in the squamous cells. Squamous cell carcinoma is highly likely to occur in your lips.
Moreover, you become at high risk of non-melanoma skin cancers when you get longer exposure to dangerous chemicals like coal, arsenic, and tar.
Contact Advanced Laser and Skin Cancer Center today to schedule an appointment with a skin cancer screening specialist.
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