The Trouble with Tanning

We know. It’s been a long, gray winter and you’d love to “perk up” your color a little. It may be tempting to head to an indoor tanning salon, or maybe you’re lucky enough to be flying off somewhere on spring break.

Just keep in mind what cancer experts see first-hand. People who get too much sun – either naturally or from tanning beds – have more wrinkles and skin damage and are more likely to be diagnosed with some form of skin cancer.

“Skin cancer rates continue to go up,” said Dr. David Pinelli, an internal medicine specialist and Chief Medical Officer at McLaren Macomb in Mount Clemens. “People tend to think it’s not a serious problem, but the melanoma form of skin cancer can be deadly.”

This spring, think twice about overexposure to the sun on vacation or “prepping” your skin in a tanning salon. Most tanning beds give off a large amount of UVA rays, the type of rays that have been found to increase the risk of skin cancer.

Dr. Pinelli added that any exposure to ultraviolet rays (UV) can raise your risk of skin cancer — even if you didn’t get a sunburn.

“Sun damage has a cumulative effect,” he said. “When young people are overexposed to the sun at an earlier age, it can really add up to problems later on.”

Skin cancer is the most common of all cancer types. In the United States, more than 3.5 million skin cancers are diagnosed each year, according to the American Cancer Society. That’s more than all the other types of cancer combined.

Are some people at higher risk for sun damage?

You should be extra cautious if you have light skin, or you have freckles and tend to burn before tanning. However, anyone can be at risk from the sun’s damaging rays. It’s not just fair-skinned people who get skin cancer, Dr. Pinelli said.

You should also be more careful if you have a family history of skin cancer or melanoma or you spend a lot of time outdoors.

How can I help prevent sun damage?

• Stay out of the sun as much as possible. Seek shade when the sun’s rays are the strongest – from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Always use a good sunscreen. (Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher). • Get checked by a dermatologist regularly.
• Use your eyes and a mirror to do a self-check of your skin regularly. Look for any abnormalities, such as dry, scaly patches or any type of mole or patch that looks flat, pink, red, shiny or rough around the edges.
• Also look for any kind of new growth, such as a spot or bump that’s getting larger over time, or a sore that bleeds or doesn’t heal within a couple of months.

“If you do have skin cancer, finding it early will give you a much better chance at treating it,” Dr. Pinelli said.

Need help finding a dermatologist, or a good primary care doctor? McLaren Macomb can help. Call the physician finder hotline at 1-855-466-2527 or visit mclaren.org/Macomb.