Skin cancer is colorblind -- no 'free pass'

[Principessa]

Skin cancer is colorblind -- no 'free pass'
By Sabriya Rice - CNN Medical Producer

(CNN) -- When Tiffany Wilson noticed a small growth on her left hip, she didn't think much of it. "It was bizarre," recalled the 41-year-old salon owner from Minneapolis, Minnesota. "I just thought it was a pimple." Wilson, who is African-American, can't say exactly what prompted her to point out the bump to her physician, but she said she remembered thinking the diagnosis wouldn't be anything serious. "It never occurred to me that it was skin cancer," she said. But it was. She had basal cell carcinoma, the most common skin cancer. Those may seem like obvious red flags to people who are sun-conscious, but they were foreign concepts to Wilson, which is why her diagnosis came as a shock. "I just assumed, 'I'm a person of color, I'll be OK,' " she said. Dermatologists say they are concerned because skin cancer rates are increasing among minority groups in the United States. Like Wilson, many people of color often mistakenly believe skin cancer is not something they should be worried about.

My mom is old school and always told me black people tanned but didn't sunburn. Like an idiot, I believed her. Imagine my shock and painful surprise when I found out she was wrong! I woke up after taking a nap on the upper deck of a Carribbean cruise ship when I was 20ish and found my shoulders, arms, and upper torso covered in tiny blisters. Beneath that my skin was reddish and tender to the touch. We were on an NCL ship and the ships doctor said he had never seen a case of sun poisoning so bad on a black person. :yikes: Great! I do so love to be a trendsetter . . . NOT. :zx11pissed:

Pigmentation is no 'free pass'

The reasoning is not completely far-fetched: Darker-skinned people do benefit from the protective effects of skin pigmentation. In fact, some studies suggest that for the darkest skin tones, pigmentation cells provide a natural sun protection factor, or SPF, of about 13. The problem is many dark-skinned people believe that means they are born with a natural immunity to skin cancer. "Pigmentation doesn't give you a free pass," said Dr. Charles E. Crutchfield III, a dermatologist specializing in ethnic skin and the doctor who treated Tiffany Wilson. "It doesn't matter what color your skin is, everyone can get skin cancer." Bob Marley, for example, died of malignant melanoma, the most lethal type of skin cancer, that spread to his lungs and brain. All types of skin cancer are increasing among blacks and Hispanics, and their melanomas are more often fatal because they are usually caught later, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Crutchfield pointed out that pigmentation may have sun-protective qualities but even for the darkest skin it falls short of the AAD's recommendation of a daily SPF of at least 15 for everyone. Crutchfield feels many ethnic groups are missing that key part of the message, if they are getting the message at all.

I had a 2nd bout of sun poisoning about 8 years after the first. I did all the right things, applying a sunblock of 30SPF every hour and after going in the water; but as a lifeguard I guess I was exposed to the sun more than my body could safely handle. :irked:

I see a dermatologist somewhat regularly because I'm paranoid. :yup: Although they say an SPF 15 is fine, I prefer a sunblock of at least 30-50 SPF that is non-comedogenic. Allegedly non-comedogenic means it won't clog your pores. This usually means buying slightly more expensive brands such as Neutrogena.

And yes, my white friends laugh at me because I am usually the only one in the group with sunblock equal to a sweatshirt in her purse year round.

If I am negligent and find myself in the sun too long and get the beginnings of a sunburn I also keep a bottle of sunburn aftercare, aloe gel with lidocaine in the fridge. It works wonders for dulling that burning sensation. :smile:

 

[B_Think_Kink]

I wore SPF 50 last summer and I barely had a tan.. and I worked outside the entire summer.

This summer.. not so smart, I sit on the deck after applying Canola oil... I'm stupid, I know.. we're all going to die somehow.

 

[widenine]

I had my first such experience in Jamaica years ago. I, also, snoozed face-down pool side and woke up all tingly behind my neck. Never again, I said. And I've kept my promise. And people wonder why Jamaican locals where wool ski caps and long sleeves. They are SMART!

 

[Amber1]

This is interesting and I totally take the points you make....

Of course like most people I would presume that black and hispanic, asian people and all those who naturally have a tan would have a greater immunity to burning and skin cancer.

I wonder if the quote above is right though??? I mean it suggests that those with the darkest skin tones have a natural SPF of around 13 but I wonder what the skin cancer rates are like in the hottest parts of Africa???

I mean many of the people have such dark skin there and must spend so much time out in the sun that I wonder if their inbuilt immunity to the sun is infact even higher then suggested??? I think that could be quite possible maybe.

I think skin is weird and complicated anyway u cant predict how it will behave when exposed to the sun...I think I am type 2 or something and pale and should burn really easy but I dont. I don't burn easy and I don't tan easy either. I had a friend at school when I was younger who was black but very light skinned and she had freckles...I've never had freckles in my life and I'm pretty damn pale!!

I think people should cover up though and use a decent SPF. I certainly wouldn't advocate sunworshipping!!

 

[DiscoBoy]

I have olive skin so I don't burn as easily as people with a lighter skin tone. I don't ever bother putting on sun-block unless I know I'll be sitting in the sun for extended periods of time, and even then I'm occasionally too lazy to apply it. After reading that though, I think I'll be changing my ways.