While many people enjoy spending time outdoors, not enough people truly understand how damaging the sun’s UV rays can be to the skin. Overexposure to UV rays is the number one cause of skin cancer, and as skin cancer is the most common type of cancer, it’s extremely important to know the risks and schedule a regular full body skin cancer screening with your dermatologist.
Fortunately, most skin cancers can be treated if they are caught early. Keep reading7 to learn more about certain risks that could increase the chances of getting skin cancer and the most effective treatment options.
Know the Risks
Just because skin cancer is the leading type of cancer in the United States, does not mean you can’t spend time outside. However, it does mean that you should be extra cautious by wearing plenty of sunscreen and covering your body with sun protective clothing, no matter the time of the year. Many people believe that sunscreen is only necessary in the summertime, but this is not true. The sun’s UV rays can be damaging year-round (even on a cloudy day!).
In addition to taking extra precautions such as wearing sunscreen daily and scheduling regular full body skin cancer screening appointments, it’s important to also know some other risks that could cause skin cancer.
Certain people who fall under these categories may have a greater risk of developing skin cancer at some point during their life:
- Having fair/light skin
- A history of skin that burns, freckles, reddens easily, or becomes painful in the sun
- Having blue or green eyes
- Having light blonde or red hair
- Displaying a large number of moles on the body
- A family history of skin cancer
- Age (older ages have a higher risk)
Knowing the risks could potentially save your life. However, it’s still very possible for someone to have skin cancer even if they don’t fall within any of the above categories. Because of this, regular full body skin cancer screening appointments are crucial.
If skin cancer is found during your regular screening appointment, there are a few treatment options, but you can avoid any cutting, pain, or scarring with SRT.
Skin Cancer Treatment with SRT
If you are researching different skin cancer treatments for either yourself or a loved one, we highly recommend Superficial Radio Therapy. On average, SRT has a success rate of 98.9% in curing non-melanoma skin cancer. This non-surgical skin care treatment is virtually painless and is able to destroy cancer cells without causing bleeding or scarring, which is why it is one of the best treatments on the market.
Contact Us
If you are interested in non-invasive skin cancer treatment with Superficial Radio Therapy, click here to find a treatment location near you.