Over the last several years there has been a heightened awareness of skin cancer and its causes. Like oral cancer, skin cancer could be prevented. However, many people still don’t take the matter seriously enough to protect themselves from the risk factors  – after all, you’ve got to have a good tan for the summer, right.

Back in the Elizabethan era the social norm was that the most beautiful women had the palest skin, so women would actually use white makeup to lighten the tone of their face. Too bad society no longer finds that beautiful, or we would all be making every effort possible to keep the sun-kissed look at bay. We can do more to prevent these cancers such as skin and oral cancer if we learned more about it.

A tan is the darkening of our skin in response to exposure to the sun’s UV rays. The fact remains that excessive sun exposures is one of the leading causes of skin cancer and, while the status quo is it be bronzed and beautiful, it isn’t much worth the effects obtaining a tan can have on your body over the length of your life.

According to the Mayo Clinic, there are several risk factors for skin cancer, many of which have to do with exposure to the UV radiation emitted from the sun:

•    Less pigmentation (melanin) to the skin, i.e. fair skinned
•     Sunburns, especially a history of them as a child or teenager
•    Lengthy exposure to the sun (such as construction workers), especially without adequately applied sunscreen
•    The use of tanning beds
•    Living at high elevations puts you closer to the sun and exposes you to more radiation
•    Living in an environment that is sunny throughout most of the year
•    Abnormal moles, called dysplastic nevi, are more apt to become cancerous from sun exposure
•    A family or personal history of skin cancer
•    A weak immune system
•    As you get older, the risk of skin cancer increases

Take precautions to avoid the risk factors for skin cancer as best you can and pay close attention to any changes on your skin and notify your doctor immediately if you see something strange. Early detection is key to effective treatment.