NORFOLK, VA — We all love to have fun in the sun but doing that safely can save your life. Everyone, yes, everyone is at risk for skin cancer. Dr. David Pariser, Senior Physician with Pariser Dermatology Specialists, has been dedicated to taking care of dermatology patients for nearly 50 years and he’s always busy.
Jen Lewis stopped by his Norfolk office, and he told her, “We find lesions all the time. We find melanomas every week in our practice. We find basal cells every day in our practice. So, there’s a lot of that going around in this area, particularly with the beach and the sun and here we are coming up on sun season.”
The summer brings throngs of sunbathers to the oceanfront, boating and fishing are popular activities, and so is gardening, and many people regularly work out in the heat. Sun exposure, though, is the biggest risk factor for skin cancer and it impacts 1 in 5 people.
According to Pariser, “Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States in humans, and approximately 10 thousand people a day in the United States are diagnosed with some kind of skin cancer.”
There are three different types. The most common one is basal cell carcinoma. It can appear as a pearly bump, and most are easily treatable if caught early. The second is squamous cell carcinoma.
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This one often looks like a rough, red area that will heal and come back. Squamous cell is also not considered serious and can be successfully treated if discovered in its early stages.
Pariser also mentioned actinic keratosis. He described this condition as often seen, scaly, dry, precancerous lesions that show up because of long-term sun exposure. Left untreated, these spots or patches can turn into skin cancers. Pariser sees cases of actinic keratosis regularly.
“The bad guy we worry the most about is melanoma, which fortunately is less common, but melanoma is a fatal skin cancer in many patients”, Pariser told Jen.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, melanoma can occur anywhere on the body, but it is most often found on the upper back, torso, lower legs, head, and neck. New rapidly growing moles, or moles that change, itch, or bleed are often early signs of melanoma, and it does not discriminate.
Pariser said, “Melanoma has about the same incidence in patients with skin of color because melanoma is not all sun-related. There are other factors. A person who has had a skin cancer of any kind really ought to have an annual head-to-toe, every inch of the skin, exam.”
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Ed Smith, who grew up in Virginia Beach, is a regular at his dermatologist’s office because he didn’t protect his skin as a young man.
He explained, “That’s why I go twice a year. I know how much frequency I had in the sun growing up surfing living in Virginia Beach and skateboarding all the time and all that sun exposure takes 20 to 30 years before it really starts to develop into little things.”
Laying out lathered in baby oil, applying sun amplifier, or baking in a tanning bed years ago, can catch up with us.
There is no safe way to tan. Every single time it damages the skin and that builds up over time leading to skin aging and increasing the risk of skin cancer.
Ed found that out firsthand after noticing a spot that didn’t look right on his leg. He showed it to his doctor. Turns out, he had skin cancer. That spot was squamous cell carcinoma.
Ed’s was caught early and treated successfully. He continues regular screenings and is serious about his sunscreen, something Pariser insists upon.
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“We recommend sun protection and sunscreens for everybody. A sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB will say that is either broad-spectrum sunscreen or it will say blocks UVA and UVB,” Pariser says.
UVA rays, or aging rays, can prematurely age your skin causing wrinkles and spots. They can pass through window glass. UVB rays, or burning rays, are the primary cause of sunburn.
They are blocked by window glass. Keep in mind, that the sun emits harmful UV rays year-round, even when it’s cold or cloudy. So, shielding yourself from the sun every day is, quite literally, a lifesaver.
Pariser concluded, “That means sunscreen to protective clothing and watching out for the time of day you’re outside because nobody in this day and age should die of skin cancer.”
If you would like additional information and resources about the types of skin cancer, what to look for, and how to treat it along with details regarding sun protection and sunscreens, visit, https://www.aad.org. David Pariser and his team are at https://pariserderm.com
