Written by: Daniel Reichner, M.D.

We are all so fortunate to live in the United States - especially here in beautiful Southern California. We have a climate and geography that promotes outdoor activities that don't require much wardrobe. This is all wonderful; however, it is important to remember that excessive sun exposure can lead to serious health problems. Don't throw your surfboard away yet - some simple education and safe guards can really make a big difference!

How can something that feels so good be so bad?

Sunlight is essential for life - it provides the energy for green plants to grow, which in turn provides a direct or indirect source of energy for all animal life. Most of us love the feeling of the warm sun on our skin - it makes us feel good. The problem is that the warm feeling of the sun on your skin is due to a wide spectrum of radiation coming from the sun. This spectrum of radiation includes both visible (sun "light") and invisible (infrared, ultraviolet, x-rays, etc). Excess radiation exposure is known to cause serious damage to our skin. Most of the damage is confined to the outer layers of skin that contain fat, pigment cells (melanocytes), cells that produce collagen and elastic fibers (fibroblasts) and the outer skin barrier - the basal cells and keratinocytes.

Radiation can damage the skin structure - breaking down fat, collagen and elastic fibers, which provide your skin's softness, thickness and strength. Radiation can also kill or damage cells in our skin. If the cell's DNA is damaged, cells can actually change into cancer cells. The most common skin cancers (squamous cell, basal cell and melanoma) have been associated with excessive sun exposure. However, there are good ways to both prevent and treat skin cancers.

What is Skin Cancer?

Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer - more than one million Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer in 2007. There are three major types of skin cancer: Squamous cell, basal cell and melanoma. Squamous cell cancers originate from the outer skin layer. They are often red, scaling, thick patches of elevated skin that may have ulceration or bleeding and irregular borders. Basal cell cancers look like a raised, smooth bump sometimes with small blood vessels. Melanomas are brown to black lesions that form from an existing mole or as a new lesion. Their edges are Asymmetric (one side being different from the other) with irregular Borders, uneven Coloring, Diameters more than the size of a pencil eraser, and they Evolve or change size, shape or color over a short period of time. Just remember ABCDE! Ordinary moles tend to be small, symmetric, with smooth borders, even coloration and they don't change much for many years.

How to prevent Skin Cancer

The key to preventing skin cancer is reducing your exposure to excessive sun exposure or sunburns, especially early in life. UVA, UVB and free radicals have been implicated in causing DNA damage resulting in skin cancer. Wear protective clothing and sunscreens that block UVA(320-400nm) and UVB (290-320nm) when outdoors! Apply at least SPF 30 sunscreen every two hours and after swimming. The FDA has approved only three products that block both UVA and UVB radiation; zinc oxide, titanium dioxide and Parsol 1789 (Avobenzone). Ask your doctor to recommend a good sunscreen that contains adequate amounts of these ingredients to provide the best protection. I recommend Obagi Healthy Skin Protection SPF 35 to my patients. It has 9% Zinc oxide and provides a translucent finish. My patients love it as an everyday facial SPF.

A good way to get started is to determine how much skin damage you already have. I recommend screening your skin with a Computerized Ultraviolet Skin Analysis. This is a special photograph with a camera that enhances the UV spectrum. I use a Visia Computerized Skin Analysis System to document the extent of a patient's skin damage before recommending a treatment plan.

How to Treat Skin Cancer

What do you do if you or your doctor suspects that you have a skin cancer? Don't panic; most skin cancers, if discovered early, can be completely treated. Early lesions can be removed with surgery, freezing or photodynamic therapy. As the lesion develops, surgery and radiation become the main forms of therapies.