What’s Going Around | Skin cancer awareness in fall

WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — As summer tans fade, fall is the ideal time to check for signs of skin cancer. That’s because skin cancer doesn’t take a vacation. 

A self-exam could save your life. 

“What I always tell my patients is look for anything growing, changing, bleeding or itching. Melanoma, which is the less common types of skin cancer, is unfortunately, one of the more deadly types of skin cancer,” said Dr. Benjamin Lockshin, a Rockville-based dermatologist at DermAssociates.

Lockshin said they go by the ABCDE’s of melanoma.

“So if something is asymmetrical, irregular border, multiple colors, large in diameter, or if it’s evolving. Changing, bleeding or itching are also different considerations as well. Now there are other types of skin cancers as well. Those include basal cell skin cancers and squamous cell skin cancers. They fall under the category of non-melanoma skin cancers and those, by and far, are the most common types of skin cancers we encounter and those are generally non-healing spots on a person that are growing or potentially bleeding,” he said

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 3.5 million Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer each year. More than 90% of cases are caused by the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays.

“If you have a severe sunburn, even one, you are at an increased risk for melanoma, and it may take a decade or two for that to happen. Obviously, the ultimate goal is to limit the number of sunburns. What I tell patients is that if you’re getting a suntan, you’re getting too much sun and that’s your litmus test, that’s your barometer for how well you are protecting yourself against the sun,” Lockshin said. “Just remember the SPF doesn’t correlate with the duration of coverage, it just correlates with how much coverage you’re getting at that point in time. So, no matter what the SPF is in your sunscreen, you do need to reapply. You need to reapply more frequently. If you’re in the water, you need to reapply more frequently, if you’re sweating a lot, so just be cognizant of that and make sure there’s enough sunscreen to adequately cover your body.”

While melanoma is a type of cancer that usually occurs on the skin that has been overexposed to the sun, it can also occur on parts of the body that have never been exposed to the sun.

“The sun is an environmental carcinogen that increases the risk of melanoma. But we see about 20% of melanoma arise in sun-protected areas where the sun is not a factor. So, that’s why it’s important for us to look between the toes, on the palms and soles, in the genital area, areas where we typically do not get sun and evaluate those for the development of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers,” Lockshin said

When it comes to sunscreens, Lockshin said choose one that is one you like, such as lotions, creams, and foams to spray.

He also recommends using SPF 30 or greater and to make sure to reapply at least every two hours when out for prolonged periods.

“Where we live in the Washington, D.C. area, I am a spring-to-fall sunscreen recommender. Which means if you are not going out for a long hike or you are not doing something in the intense sun in this area, I don’t think you need to wear sunscreen during the winter months. That being said, UV exposure can also correlate with photoaging. So, if your secondary goal is to decrease the photoaging effect of the sun, I do think it’s advisable to wear sunscreen either in a foundation for women or men or a moisturizing cream,” Lockshin said.   

Lockshin earned a bachelor’s degree from Brandeis University in fine arts and sculpture and said that training has helped him as a dermatologist.

“It’s interesting, a lot of dermatology is pattern recognition and understanding things as a gestalt, and also looking at individual components. So, for identifying rashes or looking at lesions, I’m able to hone in on specific spots but also look at something globally to assess it, and I think my understanding of art has really added to my ability to do dermatology successfully,” he said.