Smart Woman: Skin Cancer Among Darker People Deadly
By: Lane Stone & Cody McDonell
Updated: May 31, 2011
We all know that too much sun exposure isn't good for us. Yet lots of people with darker complexions assume they don't need to worry about damaging rays because their skin has darker pigmentation.
But doctors are finding that's not the case.
According to Oncologist Dr. Howard Brooks, "We can still have photo aging, we still have sun damage and the sun can still harm our skin."
Stacy Nam was diagnosed within her late twenties with Melanoma, a dangerous form of skin cancer. Because she's Asian-American, she never thought about sun damage.
"I didn't burn as easily as my Caucasian friends, I really didn't really put on sunblock that much," she said.
Research from a 2006 University of Cincinnati study showed that dark-skinned people, once thought to be "immune" to skin cancers, are more likely than whites to die from the disease, even though more whites develop the condition.
That's because when the disease does occur in people of color, it's typically more aggressive and diagnosed in its later stages, which leads to disproportionately more deaths among minority populations, particularly blacks.
"The most common places where you look for melanoma is the exact opposite where you look for it in other races. It's usually in acral areas, which means fingertips, toes...they're the areas where people really aren't paying attention, especially in the feet," explained Dr. Brooks.
For Stacy Nam, that means checking for spots, less time in the sun and applying sunblock daily.
But doctors are finding that's not the case.
According to Oncologist Dr. Howard Brooks, "We can still have photo aging, we still have sun damage and the sun can still harm our skin."
Stacy Nam was diagnosed within her late twenties with Melanoma, a dangerous form of skin cancer. Because she's Asian-American, she never thought about sun damage.
"I didn't burn as easily as my Caucasian friends, I really didn't really put on sunblock that much," she said.
Research from a 2006 University of Cincinnati study showed that dark-skinned people, once thought to be "immune" to skin cancers, are more likely than whites to die from the disease, even though more whites develop the condition.
That's because when the disease does occur in people of color, it's typically more aggressive and diagnosed in its later stages, which leads to disproportionately more deaths among minority populations, particularly blacks.
"The most common places where you look for melanoma is the exact opposite where you look for it in other races. It's usually in acral areas, which means fingertips, toes...they're the areas where people really aren't paying attention, especially in the feet," explained Dr. Brooks.
For Stacy Nam, that means checking for spots, less time in the sun and applying sunblock daily.
