Melanoma Awareness
May is Melanoma Awareness Month
Every hour of every day, someone dies of melanoma in the United States. Melanoma strikes people of all ages, all races, all economic levels and both sexes. It is the most common cancer for women 25 to 29 and the second most common cancer for women 30 to 34. The incidence of melanoma is increasing faster than any other cancer. An American’s lifetime risk of developing melanoma is one in 75.
Sunburns and Suntans
Sunburn, which is caused by a type of ultraviolet (UV) known as UVB, has served as a surrogate for the more serious skin disorders, such as melanoma and basal and squamous cell carcinoma, three forms of skin cancer. Basically, the thinking was if you prevent sunburn, you’d prevent skin cancer.
In recent years, however, scientists have come to appreciate that a different form of ultraviolet light, called UVA, may be just as, or even more, important in causing some skin disorders. Although experts still believe that UVB is responsible for much skin damage caused by sunlight – especially sunburn – UVA may be an important factor in other types of sun damage, including photoaging and the development of skin cancers.
Most sunscreens do a good job blocking UVB, but fewer filter out most of the UVA.
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