Top Reasons Why Sun Exposure Can Give You Skin Cancer

Tanning Beds Increase Cancer Risk

According to the American Cancer Society, individuals who use tanning beds are more at risk of developing skin cancer than those who do not. Individuals who started indoor tanning before the age of thirty to thirty-five are most at risk of developing melanoma, which is considered to be one of the most dangerous forms of skin cancer. People who started using indoor tanning beds before the age of twenty-five have a greater risk of developing basal and squamous cell skin cancer as well.

Sun Exposure Induces Genetic Mutations In The Skin

Research indicates that sun exposure causes a type of mutation known as p53 in skin cancers at a higher frequency compared to other types of cancer. The p53 genetic mutation has been shown to arise in lab studies as early as one week within chronic sun exposure and reaches its maximum at four to eight weeks of exposure. Another genetic mutation known as patched (PTC) has been found on the skin of sun-exposed areas of the skin as well.