Skin Cancer Alert

By Janis Quinn

JACKSON -- The news to tanning bed users is not good.
A Facial Plastic Surgeon at the University of Mississippi Medical Center pointed to a recent study of Mayo Clinic researchers that found the incidence of two types of skin cancer has tripled and quadrupled in women under 40 from 1976 and 2003.

“In the past, people didn’t usually develop basal cell and squamous cell skin cancers until they were in their 50s and 60s,” said Dr. Randall Jordan, associate professor of otolaryngology and communicative sciences. The Mayo researchers suspected the reason for the dramatic rise was the widespread use of tanning beds.

Jordan agrees. “The fact that we’re seeing it at least a decade earlier is an indication to me that the most likely answer is the increased use of tanning beds,” said the plastic surgeon who specializes in facial plastic surgery and the removal of skin cancer from the face.

Tanning bed exposure also appears to increase the risk of melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer, Jordan said. “Basal cell skin cancer practically never spreads, and squamous cell cancer of the face and skin spreads slowly if at all,” he explained. Melanoma does spread and can be fatal if it’s not removed before it has invaded other parts of the body.

“Thirty years ago, no one even thought melanoma was related to sun exposure,” Jordan said. “Now we know that one blistering sunburn before the age of 20 doubles the risk of developing melanoma.”

His advice for people who want to avoid skin cancer of all types is to stay away from tanning beds and avoid exposure to the sun as much as possible. “There’s no difference between the light you’re exposed to in a tanning bed and the light from the sun.”
He says sunscreens with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher should be applied frequently and liberally before you start sweating. Sun screen with SPF of 45 or 50 should be applied to the nose.

One group of people – those who’ve had organ transplants and are taking immunosuppressive drugs so their body won’t reject the organ – should avoid sun exposure. “They are already at very high risk for developing skin cancer, so they should be particularly aware of the dangers of too much sun.”