Q. My 19 year old daughter is in college on the NC coast and is overdoing her sun exposure in the warm months as well as regularly visiting the tanning bed in the winter.  I have urged her to stop but she tells me that the tanning bed is safe.  Please clarify for me the dangers of both sun and tanning bed overexposure.  

A. Everyone loves to be outdoors, especially after such a long and cold winter.  However, like everything else in life, there are limits to what we can indulge in and still be safe.  Sun exposure is one of those things that in excess can be very dangerous.  A tanning bed is nothing more than a way to concentrate the dangerous ultraviolet waves that naturally come from the sun, and deliver these light waves in a short period of time in order to tan the skin.  You have to understand that the body is attempting to protect itself from these dangerous ultraviolet waves (UVA and UVB) when it turns brown or tans.  It is the body’s reaction to something that it recognizes as dangerous.  Excess UVA and UVB light waves can damage the DNA in healthy skin and stimulate it to degenerate into both benign and malignant growths.  The more sun exposure or tanning bed exposure over a life time, the greater the chance that skin cancer will result.

Skin cancer is very prevalent in the Southeastern part of the country, primarily because we are blessed with lots of good weather.  Those who make their living outdoors typically do whatever they can to protect their skin; still the incidence of skin cancer is too high in such people.  Unfortunately, young women are being targeted “to enhance their skin” by spending time in the tanning bed, but in the end, this practice is very dangerous and can lead to higher rates of skin cancer and premature aging.

There are basically three types of skin cancer that occur due to cumulative exposure to the UVA/UVB waves:  Basal Cell Carcinoma, Squamous (pronounce scway-mus) Cell Carcinoma, and Malignant Melanoma.  Basal cell carcinoma is the most common and the most easily treated, although often these cancers require surgical removal and will leave a scar.  Typically, this type appears on the face, neck, back, arms, and hands.  The second most common skin cancer is squamous cell carcinoma and usually occurs in the same body locations as the basal cell type.  Notice that the common areas are all areas of high sun exposure.

The third skin cancer that can occur is malignant melanoma.  This is the most dangerous of all skin cancers, and is potentially deadly if not treated early.  This type is on the rise in the world and in the sun belt of the United States, of which NC is included.  A malignant melanoma cancer originates from the very cells that are trying to protect our skin during sun exposure, the melanocytes.  These are the cells in our skin that produce the melanin (dark pigment) which makes our skin tan when we are in the sun for too long.  With exposure over a long period of time, the DNA of the melanocytes becomes damaged and leads to a transformation into a very dangerous cancer.  These skin cancers typically appear as skin moles that are darker than the surrounding skin, may have more than one shade of dark pigmentation (black, brown, red) contained within the same dark mole, and may have irregular edges.  Dark moles that are bigger than the diameter of a pencil eraser, appear irritated, bleed, or have any of the other described characteristics should be evaluated by a dermatologist or family doctor in a timely fashion.  Not all dark moles are melanoma, in fact 99% are not a melanoma, however, ignoring a dark mole that shows signs of changing is not a wise decision.

So you asked me to clarify the dangers of overexposure to the sun and any exposure to a tanning bed.  Any overexposure is not a good idea, whether it comes from the sun or a tanning bed.  Protect yourself by covering up as much as possible in the warms months, and use a broad spectrum sun screen that protects against both UVA and UVB light rays.  Reapply the sunscreen every two hours and use a sunscreen with a sun protective number of at least 35.  Prevention is the best solution to skin cancer.

—————————————–

William Byron Barber II, M.D.

has been practicing plastic surgery in Greensboro for 20 years and is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.  He is Chief of Plastic Surgery for Moses Cone Health System, and is an active member of numerous local, regional and national plastic surgery associations.

Visit his website at: www.BarberPlasticSurgery.com or e-mail him at: AskDrBarber@BarberPlasticSurgery.com