As the temperatures rise and more folks head outdoors, now may be the perfect time to check in with the men in your life to make sure they are using sun protection.
The American Cancer Society is once again reporting that far more men (62,260) will be diagnosed with melanoma this year than women (43,850). And almost twice as many men (4,600) will die from melanoma than women (2,580).
Read More“Obviously, men and women behave differently, we’ve known that for years. Women get more melanomas on their legs while men get more melanomas on their trunks and it all correlates with intermittent sun exposure in those places, which are a little bit different in men and women.”
Dr. Sondak explains that women also benefit from taking a more proactive approach when it comes to keeping themselves safe from the sun’s penetrating rays.
“We also know that men tend to be not as good at routinely using protective behaviors,” notes Dr. Sondak. “They are not as good at covering themselves and protecting themselves and using sunscreen, and they’re not as good at paying attention to their skin and coming into the doctor when something is abnormal.”
Melanoma accounts for roughly one percent of skin cancers but causes a large majority of skin cancer deaths. The risk of being diagnosed with melanoma increases with age, but it is one of the most common cancers in young adults.
The majority of new melanoma cases occur in white men over the age of 55, but the cancer is far more common in women than men before the age of 50 in the United States.
Experts agree, however, that men could get those numbers down if they just got better about using protection.
“Men are more likely than women to die from melanoma. They are also more likely to get and die from squamous cell carcinoma,” Dr. Cecilia LaRocca, a dermatologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute tells SurvivorNet.
“While genetic differences between the sexes may be driving some of these disparities, one thing we know for sure is that men are less likely than women to use sunscreen. Men can protect themselves from the sun by using sunscreen, which can reduce the risk of getting both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer.”
Related: Skin Cancer Sticker Detects Melanoma Without Pain of Biopsy or Scars
How To Check For Skin Cancer And Melanoma
Doing regular self-checks on your skin is important to find skin cancer early. If you're high-risk, it’s especially vital. Dr. Larocca recommends looking at your skin once a month for anything suspiciousand using the acronym ABCDE as a checklist:
Asymmetrical moles: If you drew a line straight down the center of the mole, would the sides match?
Borders: Irregular, jagged, not smooth; can also stand for bleeding
Colors: Multiple distinct colors in the mole
Diameter: Larger than 6mm, about the size of a pencil head eraser
Evolution: This may be the most important, anything that is changing over time such as gaining color, losing color, painful, itching, hurting, changing shape.
Who Is At High Risk For Skin Cancer
There are a variety of hereditary risk factors that can determine your risk of skin cancer, and some people are at a higher risk than others.
Some people are more at risk for melanoma than others. If you are fair-skinned, have blond hair and blue eyes, a family history of skin cancer and/or have many moles all over your body, you are at higher risk than most. If any of this applies to you, it's even more important that you see your dermatologist regularly as well as do your own skin checks. It can help you determine your risk level so you can take measures to reduce your non-hereditary risk.
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