Skin cancer risk rises in spring
People tanning outside are
advised to stay out of the
sun from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.,
a nurse practitioner says
By Lisa Catto
News Reporter
Now that the weather is warming
up, many University students are
wearing less clothing and showing
more skin, often in an attempt to get a
tan. However, some students may not
realize the effects the sun can have on
their skin.
May is Skin Cancer Detection and
Prevention Month, and the University
Health Center offers numerous tips on
how to avoid the sometimes-deadly
disease.
Most notably, University Health
* Center Nurse Practitioner lolene Siem
. sen said people can wear sunscreen
and avoid tanning beds. She said there
*- is no need to wear sunscreen beyond
a SPF of 15 because it doesn't become
much more effective.
Siemsen said she has seen some cas
es of skin cancer come through the
health center over the years, including
several cases of melanoma, a deadly
form of skin cancer. Siemsen said she
hopes students become more careful
with their sun exposure and take bet
ter care of their skin.
Skin cancer, the most common
form of cancer, can be classified as ei
ther melanoma or non-melanoma, ac
cording to the American Cancer Soci
ety's Web site at www.cancer.org.
The site states melanoma can be a
deadly form of skin cancer if it isn't
caught in its early stages, and it usually
. develops in areas not often exposed to
the sun. Although it makes up only 4
percent of skin cancer cases each year,
it causes about 79 percent of skin can
cer deaths yearly, according to the Web
site.
Siemsen said in the 1960s, the life
time risk of developing melanoma
was one in 600, but it dramatically
SIGNS THAT A MOLE OR MARK MAY HAVE
MELANOMA SKIN CANCER
• It is asymmetrical.
• The border is irregular and not smooth.
• It has color variation, usually two or three distinct colors in one area.
• The diameter is larger than 6 millimeters.
• The spot is getting larger.
SOURCE: University Health Center Nurse Practitioner Jolene Siemsen
Tanning is not
a healthy activity."
Jolene Siemsen
University Health Center
nurse practitioner
increased to its current rate of one in
71. She added that 10 percent of
melanoma cases occur because of the
person's family history.
Non-melanoma cancer occurs on
the outer layer of skin and rarely
spreads to other areas of the body, ac
cording to the American Cancer Soci
ety's Web site. However, 1,000 to
2,000 people die from it annually in
the United States. It also can lead to
melanoma in the future, the site states.
Siemsen said people need to be
concerned about skin cancer and exer
cise caution because the rate of skin
cancer has increased 50 percent during
the past 20 years in developed coun
tries such as the United States.
She also said people with fair skin
are at a higher risk to develop skin can
cer, as well as people who suffered se
vere bums as an adolescent. She added
that someone who has experienced
five or more severe bums as an adoles
cent more than doubles his or her
chance to get melanoma skin cancer.
Siemsen said adults should have at
least one skin evaluation in their adult
lives, especially if a person has a lot of
freckles or moles.
She said to watch out for a mark
that bleeds, oozes or feels irritated or
inflamed, and to get it checked right
away. She added that in some cases it
is simply a mole on a part of the body
that gets easily irritated by clothing.
Siemsen said the best way to avoid
getting skin cancer is to avoid the sun
as much as possible.
She advises students to limit their
sun exposure during the peak hours of
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. She also encourages
students to avoid tanning beds be
cause it causes damage to the skin over
time.
"Tanning is not a healthy activity,"
she said, adding that it can lead to
brown spots on the skin and wrinkles.
University freshman Elizabeth
Doyle said she avoids tanning beds.
"I think they're horrible for your
skin," she said, adding that she is fair
skinned and wouldn't be successful
darkening her skin with a tanning bed.
Although she is fair, Doyle said she
doesn't wear sunscreen most of the
time, adding that she knows she
should. It especially becomes a worry
for her because her dad had skin can
cer; however, he was able to have it re
moved.
Siemsen encourages students con
cerned with moles or marks on their
skin to make an appointment at the
health center to have those spots ex
amined.
Contact the crime/health/
safety reporter
at lisacatto@dailyemerald.com.
CORRECTION
In the May 25 story “Green Garter Band
celebrates 20 years of music mayhem, fun,”
the Emerald incorrectly stated the Green
Garter Band concert date. The band will
perform Tuesday, June 1, at Beall Hall. The
Emerald regrets the error.
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Romance Languages Lecture featuring a talk
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