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Sun safety message failing
National report — Despite continued efforts by the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) and others, a recent survey shows sunscreen use appears to be declining. Meanwhile, the incidence of melanoma continues to increase, while sources say skin cancer is afflicting ever-younger patients.
According to the Sun Safety Alliance, the proportion of Americans who report using sunscreen when outdoors slipped from 72 percent to 60 percent during the past year.
The AAD's 2005 Skin Cancer Survey likewise reveals that 52 percent of teenagers say they're not too careful or not at all careful to protect their skin from sun exposure. A separate but related survey also found that 83 percent of adults with children or grandchildren under age 12 protect these children from sun exposure, while only 68 percent of these adults report taking similar precautions.
According to the American Cancer Society, doctors will diagnose an estimated 105,750 new melanoma cases in 2005, a 10 percent increase over 2004.
Darrell S. Rigel, M.D., clinical professor of dermatology, New York University, and past AAD president, says, "When I give lectures, I ask if people are seeing more melanomas than they did five or 10 years ago. Uniformly, the answer is 'yes'. So despite everything we're doing, we're losing ground."
Full impact
This shift's full impact might not emerge for decades.
Today's melanomas represent results of behavior 10 or 20 years ago, Dr. Rigel explains.
"What's more worrisome is that with the trend swinging toward less sun protection, it means that 10 or 20 years from now, we will continue to see increases," he says.
"We see the handwriting on the wall when we see a child and mother who are extraordinarily tanned sitting together in the office," adds Joel Schlessinger, M.D., an Omaha-based solo private practitioner who is board-certified in dermatology and general cosmetic surgery. "We also see the writing on the wall when we see a child who is a lifeguard during the summer, with parents who just roll their eyes when we say, 'this is going to harm them in the future.' The message needs to be sent out loud and clear that this is the equivalent of letting one's child smoke at a young age."
Ignoring message
Americans often ignore dermatologists' warnings for a variety of reasons, experts tell Dermatology Times.
