While anyone can get skin cancer on any part of the body, certain skin tones are more prone to skin cancer in areas that you would likely not guess. Here are the spots you should pay extra attention to while self-examining, based on your coloring.
Skin cancer is most deadly for African Americans (who have a 73 percent five-year survival rate, as compared to the 93 percent survival rate of Caucasians). Why? It's most often caught in later stages, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. That means it’s essential you take any odd new skin growth seriously and have it checked out by a doctor. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common skin malignancy among African Americans and Asian Indians. This form of skin cancer occurs mainly on the legs, with the next most common location being the skin around the butt and genitals (docs call it the “anogenital region”). Deep skin tones are also at higher risk in unusual areas, like the palms, soles of feet, and underneath the nails, says Whitney Bowe, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City. Depending on your skin tone, certain skin cancers (like the ones in these areas) can be caused by factors other than UV exposure, like genetics, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation. See your doctor if you spot stripes growing underneath your nail bed.
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A whopping 89 percent of basal cell carcinomas on naturally brown skin occur on the head or neck, so be sure to wear a hat and daily facial sunscreen—and don’t forget your neck! “The sides of the neck in men and women, and the back of the neck in men who don’t have longer hair to protect it, are especially prone to basal cell carcinoma,” says Bowe. Another heads up: Melanoma (the deadliest form of skin cancer) most often occurs in Asians, Filipinos, Indonesians, and native Hawaiians in places you’d least expect it, like the palms, soles of feet, and underneath the nails, says Bowe. Be sure to check these areas and to look at nails without polish to see if there are any stripes growing underneath your nail bed.
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With a skin tone that doesn’t burn as easily and instead picks up “color” under the sun, complacency is actually your biggest risk. “I often see people with medium skin get addicted to tanning in the sun or tanning beds," says Bowe. "When you have skin that tans evenly, it’s very tempting to keep ‘refreshing’ that healthy-looking glow." She adds that she has the hardest time convincing medium skin tones to either stop tanning altogether or to switch to safe self-tanning products instead. Bowe says areas easily missed by sunscreen like the hairline, ears, scalp, eyelids, and around the lips can more commonly develop skin cancer in this skin tone.
You’re likely not surprised by this bad news: Since you burn so easily, you’re the most susceptible skin tone to all three forms of skin cancer—basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. The danger tends to lurk in areas even a dedicated sunscreen applier might overlook. “Common spots that people forget to protect, and that I often diagnose with skin cancer, are the hairline, ears, scalp, eyelids, and around the lips,” says Bowe. The good news is that skin cancer is usually curable when detected early, so getting any strange moles that pop up checked by your dermatologist ASAP is key to your health.
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The bottom line: No matter what skin tone you have, daily SPF use is key to protecting yourself, as is visiting your derm yearly for a skin check. And in between appointments, pay particular attention to these areas where skin cancer can occur the most. Staying vigilant could help save your life.
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