Preventing Melanoma

Preventing Melanoma
By Josh
People Most at risk of getting Melanoma

People with fair skin and hair
People who go red and then peel before getting a tan from the sun
However everyone is at risk of melanoma including people with dark skinn


SKIN TYPE(Fitzpatrick)
*RESPONSE TO SUN EXPOSURE
EXAMPLES
SUSCEPTIBILITY
I
Always sunburn, don't tan
Fair-skinned & freckled
Very High
II
Always sunburn tan minimally
Fair-skinned, blonde haired, Blue-eyed, Scandinavians
High
III
Sometimes sunburn, tan moderately
Fair-skinned, brown hair, brown-eyed; unexposed skin is white
Average
IV
Seldom sunburn, tan easily
Light brown skin, dark brown hair, brown-eyed; unexposed skin is tan; Mediterranean, Hispanic
Low
V
Rarely sunburn, tan profusely
Dark brown skin; Mediterranean, Asian, Eastern Indian
Very low
VI
Never
Black
Minimal


Preventing Melanoma

The best way to prevent melanoma is to live in a cave and not have UV rays touch your precious skin. However most people are exposed to UV rays every day so there are certain precautions people can take:

Wear sunscreen : minimum of spf 15+
SPF 15 + : 7% of UVB rays reach your skin
SPF 30 + : 7% of UVB rays reach your skin

Wear protective clothing: particularly to cover high risk areas such as a hat and collared shirt.

Reduce Time in sun

Seek shade

Try and not get severe sunburn as this increases the chances of getting melanoma

Melanoma and Youth
80% of your sun exposure occurs before you are 18 when your skin is young and still maturing. This high exposure early on in life increases the risk of having a melanoma later in life dramatically. Children and teenagers should keep their sun exposure to a minimum.