This
information is not meant to replace your physician and is simply
provided as a free educational service to our visitors. If you feel
that you have a skin problem, please consult with your physician.
Many people, especially redheads with freckles, blondes and those with
a fair complexion who burn easily or tan poorly on sun exposure should
be warned about the dangers of damage to the skin from sun exposure.
Many people who fit into this category have Scotch-Irish-English or
Scandinavian ancestry. Unfortunately, these warnings often come only
after considerable damage has already been inflicted on the skin.
The effect of sunlight over the years is to weather or to prematurely
age the skin. While the brown splotches, thinning, wrinkling, drying,
and exposure of many prominent tiny blood vessels at the surface in
these sun exposed areas are of primarily cosmetic importance, certain
scaling red spots, called ACTINIC KERATOSIS, are in some cases, of more
serious significance. These can, in a small number of cases, become
skin cancers.
An actinic keratosis can be said to be "going to college" to learn to
become a skin cancer. Fortunately, natural skin defense mechanisms
assure that the "drop out rate" is high. If they look like they are
going to graduate and become skin cancers, they will have to be treated
with local destructive techniques. These techniques may include
surgery, freezing with liquid gases, certain acids, electrosurgery, and
recently through the applications of certain externally applied
medications containing anticancer drugs such as 5-fluorouracil.
When an area of sun damaged skin forms a skin cancer (such as a BASAL
CELL OR SQUAMOUS CELL SKIN CANCER), they are usually only invasive into
the local area where they are growing. For this type of cancer to
spread to other areas of the body by the blood stream or lymph channels
is unusual. Just like a "bad spot" on an apple, they can be cut off and
the rest of the fruit is still good. Because of the mild character of
these cancers in early stages, they are the form of cancer best able to
be cured by early diagnosis and treatment.
SUNLIGHT IS A FORM OF X-RAY
The damage to the skin which results from sun exposure, like x-ray,
will accumulate with exposure over the years. The effect is forever
stored in the memory of the skin and cannot be erased. The effect of
sun damage today is only seen in years to come.
IF YOU STOP ALL FURTHER UNNECESSARY SUN EXPOSURE YOU WILL
PROBABLY STILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP SKIN CHANGES IN THE FUTURE. BUT IF
YOU CONTINUE TO INSULT THE ALREADY DAMAGED SKIN BY ADDITIONAL IMPROPER
SUN EXPOSURE YOU WILL CERTAINLY MAKE MATTERS WORSE.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TREATMENT OF SUN DAMAGED SKIN
1. A patient with sun damaged skin should visit his or her clinician at
least once a year for a thorough examination of the skin in light
exposed areas.
2. A patient who has had a skin cancer with a sun damaged skin should
keep all follow-up visits until the cancer is pronounced cured. After
that, since he or she has a better than average chance of getting
another skin cancer, he or she should be seen at least once a year for
a similar examination.
3. Any skin growth in a sun exposed area which does not heal, bleeds, or keeps growing in size should be examined.
4. Avoid needless sun exposure whenever possible. Plan your
recreational and nonessential outdoor activities for before 10 in the
morning and after 3 in the afternoon. This is especially true in the
months from April through October. Between the hours of 10 and 3, even
the best sun protective lotion will not give adequate protection
against the damaging rays. They are like wearing only underwear to keep
you warm in Antarctica.
5. Use a sun protective lotion on all sun exposed areas from April through October.
6. Wear hats and protective clothing whenever possible in addition to
using the sun protective lotions to shield the skin from the sun.
