Does a skin exam with a dermatologist make sense for somebody who is brown skinned?
Yes, dark skinned individuals can get skin cancer. Get screened once and ask that provider how often you should repeat it. They will answer based on your skin.You’re right – darker skinned people are less prone to skin cancer. But, they can and do get it and unfortunately it’s less likely to be caught early in the easily curable stages.
This is for 3 reasons:
(1) darker skinned people don’t have the perceived risk and so generally don’t take as many precautionary actions as more at risk groups may (like using sunscreen, regular skin exams, or getting new spots checked early)
(2) many skin cancers appear as dark lesions which are harder to spot against dark skin
(3) darker-skinned individuals are more prone to the type of melanoma that grows under finger and toe nails and on the feet (which are harder to catch for everyone).
So – is screening useful? Absolutely! A derm is going to be helpful in spotting things that are tricky for you to, and I promise they won’t think it’s weird that you’re asking. I’d think that frequency would be the same as recommended for most people (once per year), but I’d suggest going ahead and having and exam now to see what the derm recommends for you.
Do You Know The Facts About Sunburn on Brown Skin?
The amount of sun exposure that it actually takes to cause sunburn varies from person-to-person depending on their skin type and color. Your skin color is determined by the number, distribution, and type of pigment-producing cells (melanocytes) within the skin. Dermatologists refer to the amount of pigmentation in the skin by categorizing skin types, these types range from a Type 1 through Type 6. It is these types that determine how easily you burn in the sun, depending on how light or dark your skin is.
Type 1 skin is white to light brown, as I previously mentioned these types go right through to Type 6, which is deeply pigmented, dark brown to black and Type 5 is dark brown skin. A lot of people are under the impression that when you have brown skin you won’t burn. This isn’t necessarily true; however, dark skin does have minimal sensitivity and rarely burns but exposure over a lifetime can still risk skin cancer and an overexposure to the sun can still damage and age your skin.
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No skin type is entirely safe from sunburn and UV exposure. Regardless of your skin type, the energy from the sun will still penetrate deeply into the skin and cause damage to the DNA of the skins cells. This damage could go on to cause skin cancer. People with brown skin are more likely to develop skin cancer on the lighter areas of their bodies, which includes the palms and fingers.
The amount of sun exposure that is required to cause sunburn varies greatly from person-to-person. In the summer, a fair skinned person can burn in as little as 15 minutes, however, people with darker skin are less sensitive to the sun and, as a result, may rarely burn. Even so, sunburn is still a radiation burn to the skin. Your skin will turn red or darker within two to six hours of being burnt. This will then continue to develop up to as much as 24-72 hours. Basically, the more exposure that you receive to UV radiation, the worse the sunburn will become.
The reason why sunburn doesn’t affect people with darker skin is the melanin that is present in the skin. Melanin is the pigment within our skin that makes it brown. This is because melanin absorbs UV rays, making it your body’s natural sunscreen. This doesn’t mean for a second, however, that you shouldn’t also wear sunscreen. Melanin will only stop you burning to a certain degree, you still need the added protection that comes with sunscreen.
The amount of melanin that is produced by your body is determined genetically and the phases of sunburn are actually your body’s way of blocking the UV rays in order to prevent sunburn and other skin damage. However, even if you do have brown skin, it is highly advisable that you still protect your skin against the damage that the sun can cause by applying sunscreen. Not only will you be protecting against sunburn but you will also keep wrinkles at bay and reduce your risk of skin cancer. All of these are valid reasons that you should be considering today.
Brown Skin Lady
Image by Poster Boy NYC
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Tags: BROWN, dermatologist, exam, sense, skin, skinned, Somebody
