Skin Cancer in People of Color

 Can People of Color Develop Skin Cancer?

By: Kristie


                                                                                    (GW Cancer Center 2002)
  
     Does everyone feel the need to protect their skin from harmful rays?  Not many people that I know. I would like to tell you a story about my friend Tori who has two children.  Her first born is now 18 and her last child just turned 5 years old.  There’s a huge age difference between the two.  She was a widow for a long time and recently got remarried and decided that it was time to have another child.  The family has darker skin and lives in an area that is very hot and humid.  It's near a beach, so they go to the beach very often, maybe three to four times a week.  Tori and her husband never felt the need to use sunscreen on themselves or their kids because of their skin tone. They had no clue about how using sunscreen could protect their skin from the harmful rays of the sun and felt that it wasn’t necessary for people of color because of the way they were raised.  Tori would always say that her parents never wore sunscreen, so she figured, why should she use it on her family.  One day her 18-year-old son noticed an open sore that developed on his arm.  Tori told him to use Neosporin because she thought this would help heal the wound.  It was like two weeks later and she noticed that his open sore was getting worse and decided to take him to a physician to get it examined.  The physician scheduled a visit for him to be seen by a dermatologist so that the lesion could get properly diagnosed.  A physical history was done and one of the questions the doctor asked her was, “Do you and your family use sunscreen regularly?”  She commented, no.  She explained to him that the family never used sunscreen because of their darker-skin and never really saw a need for it.  An examination was performed, and a sample of the lesion was tested.  The result came back a week later and it was astonishing. We all couldn’t believe that this vibrant healthy teenager had been diagnosed with the beginning stages of melanoma. I had never heard of a person so young having skin cancer. The physician advised her that the family should start using sunscreen when going outdoors, even on days where the sun isn’t out so much because it’s really hard to detect skin cancer in darker skinned individuals. The physician explained how this type of cancer was rare in adolescents, but it does happen. He said that it accounts for 1.3% of all cases of patients under the age of 20 and 7% of cases in adolescence from 15 to 19 years of age. So, no matter the age or skin color, you can still develop skin cancer (Pappo 2023). Tori realized that this could’ve been prevented if they would’ve used sun protection when deciding to enjoy outside activities such as going to the beach. She went home and told her family and friends about their ordeal and how important it is to protect their skin from the sun’s damaging rays. She explained how the doctor emphasized that it doesn't matter what skin tone you have, you should still be protecting it.  From that day on, Tori and her family have started a daily routine of protecting their skin and advised their family and friends to do the same.


After her son's diagnosis, I found out that malignant melanoma is one of the most advanced types of skin cancer in people of color (Hunt et al., 2023). It’s a malignant tumor that is produced by melanocytes, which are pigments of melanin in the skin cells.  This type of cancer is responsible for 75% of skin cancer deaths among people of color (Das et al., 2016). Studies have shown that excessive sun exposure during child and adolescent years can lead to skin cancer.  Most Americans spend 22.73% of their lifetime in the sun by the time they reach 18 years of age. So, most people spend about a fifth of their lifetime in the sun.  A person having this much sun exposure can lead to sunburns and can lead to skin cancer.  Believe it or not, the most important thing that you can do to prevent this is to limit yourself from sun exposure at an early age. So, please stay informed about UV radiation and what it can do to your skin as well as your children.  To minimize your risk of skin cancers, seek shade during the peak hours of the day (10 am to 4 pm), wear sun protective clothing, use sunscreen with both UVA and UVB that cover your body and lips. Most studies that have been conducted agree that wearing sun protective wear can reduce the number of lesions and malignant moles that can develop over time. (Narayanan et al., 2010).  

Wow! These percentages were very shocking. Especially, since my parents never used sunscreen on me either when I was growing up.  So, I can relate to Tori's situation. All we were thinking about was going outside on those pretty sunny days and playing out in the yard. When we traveled to places like the beach, I would always see light-skinned people putting on sunscreen, but we never did. We had no clue of what the sun could do to our skin if we didn't protect it.  Now I know that even though darker skin tones are less prone to having skin cancer, they can still develop it and it’s harder to see on someone with darker skin than it is on lighter-skinned individuals. That's what makes it so scary and even more dangerous for someone of color because it can go unnoticed for a long time before you realize that you have it. Unless you're someone who checks their skin on a daily basis.  There are so many misconceptions and questions that I have about skin cancer and I’m sure you do too.  Individuals with darker skin, such as myself, need to know the effects of the sun and how we can protect ourselves from it because it could put us at a higher risk of developing melanoma or some other form of cancer.

     

      Being a person with darker skin, I realize now that even if my skin is darker, I really need to start protecting it more. Especially, after I heard about Tori's experience with her son being diagnosed with skin cancer. I will definitely start taking care of my skin, even if it involves wearing hats, long sleeves, or sunscreen whenever I’m outside in the sun.  Just because people have a darker complexion with more pigment in their skin, doesn't mean that you are protected. This is not enough to prevent the development of skin cancer. There may be a lower risk for developing melanoma in darker-skinned individuals, but not protecting your skin could put you at a higher risk for developing this form of cancer. Rember, the darker your skin, the longer it may take you to notice any abnormal skin conditions which means getting a later diagnosis and may result in a risk for a 5-year survival rate. (Culp et al., 2019).


     Here’s a few pictures to illustrate different stages of melanoma on darker-skinned individuals.


Skin cancer in people of color


                                                                                     (Davis et al., 2021)


     It is so important for people of color to protect their skin from the sun’s UV rays. Taking precautionary measures to protect your skin could prevent this type of cancer from occurring.  We all must get regular checkups because early detection is crucial. Young people such as adolescents don’t think about protecting their skin when they’re outside.  Parents can help by informing their children on how important it is to protect their skin at all times when out in the sun.  Other preventive measures include self-examinations, public education, and screening programs that could keep you informed about how to protect your skin from the sun. (Gloster et al., 2006).


    Here's a good resource to understand how people of darker skin have misconceptions about the use of sunscreen to prevent skin cancer.


     Here’s a good resource to understand how people of darker skin have misconceptions about the use of sunscreen to prevent skin cancer:


Scribbr. 2021 August 9. Skin cancer and black skin video. Scribbr.< Retrieved 2023 Feb 23 from Youtube. https://youtu.be/ZYlm8tyVEaE> 



Reference List

Culp MB., Lunsford NB. 2019. Peer reviewed: Melanoma among non-Hispanic black Americans. Preventing chronic disease, 16.


Das P., Deshmukh N., Badore N., Ghulaxe C., Patel P. 2016. A review article on melanoma. Journal of pharmaceutical sciences and research. 8(2).112.


Davis DS., Robinson C., Callender VD. 2021. Skin cancer in women of color: Epidemiology, pathogenesis clinical manifestations.  International Journal of Women's Dermatology. 7 (2). 127-134.


de Vere Hunt I., Owen S., Amuzie A., Nava V., Tomz A., Barnes L., Linos E. 2023. Qualitative exploration of melanoma awareness in black people in the USA. BMJ open. 13(1).   


Gloster Jr, H. M., & Neal, K. 2006. Skin cancer in skin of color. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 55(5), 741-760.


GW Cancer Center. 2022. Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness. Photo<Image Retrieved 2023 Apr 3.>


Narayanan, D. L., Saladi, R. N., & Fox, J. L. (2010). Ultraviolet radiation and skin cancer. International journal of dermatology, 49(9), 978-986.


Pappo 2023 Dec. Melanoma in children and adolescents. European Journal of Cancer. 39 (18). 2651-2661. 

    

       Scribber. 2021 August 9. Skin cancer and black skin video. Scribber<Retrieved 2023 Feb                 23 from Youtube. https//youtu.be/ZYIm8tyVEaE>

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