As Americans shed their winter doldrums and embrace the sun – or flock to tanning salons to get a jump on that sun-kissed look – experts are warning of a significant increase in skin cancers and potentially deadly melanomas: The American Academy of Dermatology last month reported an epidemiclike rise in skin cancers afflicting more young people.
Those warnings come on the heels of lawsuits alleging that sunscreen makers have misled consumers with exaggerated claims of skin protection.
Criticism also is growing about marketing efforts aimed at convincing young people that they can get safer tans in salons.
Mayo Clinic researchers also last month reported that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer – and the risk doubles after five or more sunburns.
They also said women younger than 40 were experiencing tripling rates of basal cell cancers and quadrupling rates of squamous cell cancers, treatable diseases that historically have affected patients older than 50.
Melanoma, a potentially fatal skin cancer that can spread throughout the body, also is on the rise. Researchers saw 60,000 new melanoma cases last year – at a time when other types of cancer declined. Last year, more of the 8,000 melanoma deaths included people younger than 20.
Makers of sunscreens say their products provide adequate protection, and a national spokesman for tanning salons says tanning beds are safe if used in moderation.
But dermatologists and other medical experts say there still is a need for a coordinated national education campaign to address the growing problem of skin cancer, one that includes examining environmental threats that are reducing the ozone layer, which filters harmful rays.
“At this rate, it’s going to get worse rather than better,” said Debra Smith, who specializes in childhood cancers at the University of Kansas Medical Center. “Some people think cases are increasing because we are diagnosing it better. But it’s increasing too much for it to just be better diagnosis.”
Reasons for the increase in skin cancer are difficult to pinpoint, but experts say it has been building for several decades. Some point to pollutants, fossil fuels and aerosol sprays that are contributing to the erosion of the atmosphere’s protective ozone layer. As a result, they say, it is less effective at blocking the sun’s most dangerous radiation.
Two types of ultraviolet light can cause skin cancers. Ultraviolet B rays are most associated with sunburns and the more common squamous and basal cell skin cancers.
Ultraviolet A rays penetrate deeper and are associated with more serious tissue damage that can lead to melanoma, a malignancy that can spread to the lymph system.
The UVA rays “are the sneaky ones,” Smith said. They penetrate skin without always showing symptoms – such as a sunburn – so you don’t know they are hurting you.
That is partly the basis of class action lawsuits filed against sunscreen makers in California. The lawsuits say manufacturers lulled consumers into believing sunscreens would protect them equally from UVA and UVB rays when they did not. One lawsuit called sunscreens the “snake oil of the 21st century.” Schering-Plough, maker of popular Coppertone products, disputed the allegations.
In a statement, the company said that “labeling and advertising for all Schering-Plough products are developed in compliance with applicable laws and FDA regulations.” The statement also said the company is in “the forefront in introducing sunscreen products that provide broad spectrum UVA/
UVB protection.” Despite the lawsuits’ claims, dermatologists agree that most people still are better off using sunscreens, since they can protect the skin if reapplied often and if exposure to the sun is limited.
Nonetheless, Stephen P. Stone, president of the American Academy of Dermatologists, noted that “people shouldn’t feel they can stay in the sun for extended periods of time just because they are wearing sunscreen.” Criticism also is mounting against tanning salons, which some view as a safer alternative to the sun. One study released last month, however, questioned salon ads placed in high school newspapers and aimed at teenage girls. The study suggested that tanning beds may be equated with the higher incidence of cancer among young people.
The study in the Archives of Dermatology notes that the government classifies ultraviolet radiation from the sun and the kind used in tanning salons as carcinogens, and that the World Health Organization recommends that people younger than 18 avoid UV tanning devices. But there are no restrictions on advertising aimed at youths.
John Overstreet, executive director of the Indoor Tanning Association, found fault with the study. He said he viewed the recent focus on skin cancer as part of a campaign “to scare us out of the sun.” Overstreet pointed to research showing that tanning salons and the sun are important sources of vitamin D, which has been found to be effective in protecting the body from certain types of cancers. And he maintained that tanning beds are no more dangerous than sunlight.
“The bottom line is that moderation is the key to all of this,” Overstreet said.
“In a tanning salon, you are unlikely to get burned.”
Protect yourself
Sources: American Academy of Dermatology, University of Kansas Medical Center
Early detection of melanoma
Melanoma generally begins as a mottled, light brown to black, flat blemish with irregular borders. The blemish is usually at least one-quarter inch in size. It may turn shades of red, blue or white, crust on the surface and bleed. They most frequently appear on the upper back, torso, lower legs, head and neck. A changing mole, a new mole or a mole that is different or begins to grow requires prompt medical attention.
Anyone can get melanoma, but your risk is higher if you have already had one melanoma, you have many moles or large or atypical moles, you have a relative with melanoma, or you have excessive sun exposure in the first 10 to 18 years of life.
Five or more sunburns can double the risk. Fair skin makes the risk four times greater.
For more information, go to aad.org or call 1-888-462-DERM (3376).
Source: American Academy of Dermatology
Skin cancer facts
Source: American Academy of Dermatology
