Be Sun Smart
Learn How to Reduce Your Risk of Skin Cancer and Catch It Early
Healthy skin starts by being sun smart to protect yourself and reduce sun exposure. Some of the essential steps you can take to keep your skin healthy are to keep an eye out for changing spots and moles during monthly self-exams and apply sunscreen daily. By increasing your skin IQ, you’ll be a proactive participant in reducing your chance of developing various forms of skin cancer and detecting it early.
DC 37 partners with Memorial Sloan Kettering to offer MSK Direct, a program that provides guided access to expert clinical care as well as practical and emotional support to keep you healthy and well.
Skin Cancer Self-Exams: Take Action!
Illustration of the points on your body to check during a skin self-examination.
Take Action by Practicing Skin Self-Awareness
Self-examination can detect skin cancer at the earliest stage, when it is most easily cured. Most skin cancers are noticed by the individual or their primary care doctors and then verified by a dermatologist.
Self-examination tips
- Grab a hand mirror and stand in front of a full-length mirror while doing a head-to-toe skin self-exam each month to check for spots.
- Examine your entire body, including ears, scalp, neck back and buttocks.
- Bend elbows, twist arms around, closely examine hands, chest and armpits.
- Look at the backs of your thighs, knees, calves, and ankles.
- Check the bottoms of your feet and between your toes.
Get to know your skin by learning the ABCDEs of skin cancer
Follow the ABCDE method when examining suspicious moles or spots.
Asymmetry: The halves don’t match up.
Border: The edges are ragged and uneven.
Color: The shade is different than other moles.
Diameter: The width is more than six millimeters (pencil eraser).
Evolution: The size, shape, color, or surface has changed.
If you find spots that are changing, bleeding, or itching, make an appointment with a dermatologist. It may not be cancer, but your doctor will be able to provide guidance.
If you or a loved one has been impacted by cancer, please call the DC 37-dedicated MSK Direct phone line at 833-786-3365.
Did You Know?
- Anyone can get skin cancer.
- Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the U.S. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer.
- The five-year survival rate for melanoma is 99% if the cancer is localized and caught early. This is why at-home skin checks are so important!
- Melanoma mortality rates have been on the decline recently because of advances in immunotherapy drugs.
- Five or more sunburns in your life doubles your risk of melanoma.
- Men 50+ are among those at highest risk of melanoma.
- You still need to protect your skin from the sun’s rays in the winter - get tips for healthy winter skin here.
Getting educated about skin cancer prevention helps keep you safe. This guide is meant to help you understand the best way to protect your skin.
What is my risk for skin cancer?
When considering your risk for developing skin cancer, it’s important to understand there are many factors you can control and some that you cannot.
Skin cancer risk factors you can control
Although skin cancer is the most common form of cancer, there are many things you can do to reduce your risk and help prevent it.
- Limit exposure to the sun’s UV rays. The most common risk factor for skin cancer is exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. Stay out of the sun from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. when rays are the strongest.
- Protect yourself by wearing broad-spectrum SPF (sun protection factor) sunscreen. Reapply every two hours and after swimming, toweling off, or sweating.
- Avoid indoor tanning machines. Any history of indoor tanning increases your risk for developing skin cancer before age 40 by 69 percent.
- Apply sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher at least 20 minutes before going outside, even on cloudy days and in the winter.
- Wear protective clothing such as long-sleeve shirts, wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses.
- Seek out shade whenever possible.
Skin cancer risk factors you CAN’T control
Even if you’re diligent about wearing sunscreen now, some factors can increase your risk for developing skin cancer.
Here are more risk factors for skin cancer to be aware of:
- Having fair skin and/or blue eyes.
- Having skin with freckles.
- Having moles.
- Being middle-aged or older.
- Your gender: Men are two times more likely to develop basal cell cancer and about three times as likely to get squamous cell cancer.
- Family history: About 10% of people with melanoma have a close relative with the disease.
- A history of sunburns – Having five or more sunburns in your life doubles your melanoma risk.
- Having a previous history of skin cancer.
If you recognize multiple risk factors you cannot control, we recommend you talk to your doctor for personalized recommendations on skin cancer screening.
Take this 5-minute health survey to get personalized screening recommendations and advice on how to reduce your risk for cancer.
Use SPF 30 or higher when at the beach or at other outdoor spaces.
Learn the differences between chemical and mineral sunscreens
Chemical sunscreens
- They use chemical filters to block UV rays.
- They absorb UV rays and chemicals.
- They require you to wait 20 minutes before sun exposure in order to be effective.
- They include octinoxate, oxybenzone, and avobenzone.
- They include water resistant options.
Mineral (physical) sunscreens
- They aren’t absorbed into the skin.
- They bounce or reflect UV rays off of skin.
- They’re effective immediately.
- They’re safe for reefs.
- They include zinc or titanium dioxide.
- They require reapplication after every towel dry.
What are the types of skin cancers?
Non-melanoma
- This is the most common form of skin cancer, including basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.
- It’s usually found on the face, neck, hands, or other areas frequently exposed to the sun.
- Most non-melanoma skin cancers can be detected early — when they are curable — and successfully treated with current therapies.
Merkel-cell carcinoma (MCC)
- Merkel-cell carcinoma is a rare, aggressive skin cancer that shows up as firm, painless lesions or nodules on a sun-exposed area.
- It’s found on the head and neck — including eyelids — 50% of the time.
Melanoma
- Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer.
- It’s less common than basal and squamous cell carcinomas.
- It starts in the skin and can develop anywhere on the body
- Melanoma specifically begins in cells called melanocytes, which produce melanin, the pigment that gives your skin, hair, and eyes their color.
