RIsk Factors For Melanoma

The fifth most prevalent cancer out of all cancer variations is melanoma, a type of skin cancer, not far behind breast cancers, lung cancers, prostate cancers, and the number one most common type of cancer, colorectal. All types of cancer are caused by a mutation of the cell's DNA that results in the abnormally rapid division and reproduction of cells that form cancerous tumors. Ultraviolet ray exposure is the leading cause for these DNA mutations that develop into dangerous melanomas. Most describe melanoma spots as mole-like, and black or brown in color, though they also sometimes appear white, red, purple, blue, or pink. It is important to know the risk factors for developing melanoma, as once it has metastasized to other organ systems it often becomes fatal. Learn about what increases an individual's risk of developing melanoma now.

Overuse Of Tanning Beds

The biggest risk factor that increases an individual's chances of developing melanoma is the overuse of tanning beds. Many tanning bed users have the common misconception the ultraviolet rays from an indoor tanning bed are less harmful than those from the sun. The belief is on the basis there is more control with indoor tanning as opposed to outdoor tanning, but this couldn't be further from the truth. Tanning beds deliver higher quantities of all types of ultraviolet rays than the natural sun does. Visits to the tanning salon on a regular basis is shown to increase an individual's risk for developing melanoma by fifty-nine percent according to the American Academy of Dermatology. The World Health Organizations International Agency for Research on Cancer place tanning beds in the highest cancer risk classification with plutonium and asbestos. It is also important to note the chance of developing melanoma is increased by a staggering seventy-five percent if an individual uses a tanning bed prior to turning thirty years old.

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Frequent Sunburns

A sunburn is the result of too much ultraviolet radiation from the sun. The harmful rays cause damage to the skin cells and molecules, effectively changing the DNA to cause inflammation and small blood vessel dilation by making different kinds of enzymes and proteins. It takes these proteins around six hours or so to fully synthesize, which is why individuals do not feel the effects of a sunburn until several hours later. When this happens once, the body can handle the self-healing of the damaged skin, however, frequent sunburns cause melanoma due to the compounded DNA mutating damage inflicted with each additional sunburn. Being badly sunburned more than five times within an individual's lifetime doubles their chances of developing melanoma later on in life. In addition, incurring a sunburn only one time within every two years can triple the risk of developing melanoma.

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Immune Suppression

When the immune system is in a weakened state, it cannot adequately perform the process of immuno-surveillance, which is when the immune system checks through the cells in the body to ensure they are not showing protein indicators that look suspicious. When the immune system does find cells tagged with cancer-suspicious proteins in a healthy individual, it will quickly destroy them. In individuals who experience immune suppression however, the lack of immuno-surveillance puts them at a significantly higher risk of developing melanoma because the body does not know to destroy the first signs of it. Numerous medications used to treat other serious conditions can cause immune suppression. Individuals who have had organ transplants usually have to take immuno-suppressant drugs for the rest of their life to help prevent rejection of the transplanted organ. Patients who have undergone a splenectomy to remove the spleen or have a spleen that does not function are also at higher risk of developing melanoma from a suppressed immune system.

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Xeroderma Pigmentosum

Xeroderma pigmentosum is characterized by severe sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation. The skin cells of xeroderma pigmentosum patients are extremely susceptible to DNA damage from ultraviolet rays that tends to build up due to their DNA repair processes not functioning correctly. Xeroderma pigmentosum is caused by an inherited mutation that presents in an autosomal recessive pattern that can happen to both men and women of any ethnic background. Xeroderma pigmentosum causes a sunburn to ensue quickly and become severe within just minutes of ultraviolet exposure. The severe sunburns often will last for several weeks before they will begin to heal. Those younger than twenty years old have a staggering one thousand times of a chance of developing skin cancers including melanoma than an individual who does not have xeroderma pigmentosum. This skin disease is rare, however, the occurrences of melanoma-related to this risk factor are not rare. The risk of developing melanoma because of xeroderma pigmentosum never goes away or goes into remission, as the disease has no cure. Treatment for xeroderma pigmentosum always involves preventative measures to ensure melanomas are promptly removed upon discovery.

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Skin Tone

An individual's skin tone is determined by the amount of melanin present in the skin because it can help with protecting the skin against ultraviolet rays from the sun. Melanocytes are the cells that create melanin for the skin, and all skin tones have the same quantity of melanocytes. It is the quantity of melanin those cells produce that varies and determines whether an individual will have lighter or darker skin. Due to the property of melanin to protect from ultraviolet rays and having a brown pigment, individuals with more melanin in their skin tend to have a lower risk of developing melanoma than those who have very fair skin. Melanin is also responsible for the eye color and the natural tone of an individual's hair. Thus, individuals with green, blue, and light grey eyes are more likely to develop melanoma than those who have black, brown, or hazel eyes. Likewise, individuals with light blonde or red hair have an increased risk of developing melanoma than those with darker natural hair colors. Many individuals with darker skin often have the misconception they cannot get skin cancer from sun exposure. This is not true, as these individuals simply do not have as high of a risk of developing melanoma from ultraviolet damage, but they can still have a moderate risk depending on other lifestyle factors.