Minorities and Melanoma

It's the time of year the pool and the beach beckons us, But African Americans and Hispanics have reason to pause before heading out into the sun. New research shows that it's not just fair skinned individuals, but dark skinned minorities are also at risk for skin cancer resulting from exposure to the harmful rays of the sun.

This is the first large population based study to look at the relationship between ultraviolet ray exposure and the risk of melanoma in blacks and hispanics. It shows, the greater the exposure over time, the greater the risk. For Paul Godbold, there's nothing like a summer day by the shore. "Cooling off enjoying this hot day on the beach. Just trying to stay out of the sun and relax." Paul emphatically states. Smart thinking, staying out of the sun.

Even though when you ask Paul about his risk of melanoma, he says, "I never actually thought about it." Dr. Ariel, Ostad, a dermatologist with , says,"I don't think that the majority of people are aware of the harmful effects of the sun. Even fair-skinned individuals but especially in the Hispanic and African American community I think they have the misconception that they are immune from the potential long term effects of the sun.

So it's important to make them aware that they still need to be very careful with sun exposure, and avoid sun burns, chronic sunburns can lead to melanoma down the line or other types of skin cancer." And now that risk has been borne out in the latest research in the Archives of Dermatology. It shows that Hispanics and African Americans are indeed at risk for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

There's no question the study found that whites are at a 15 to 30 times greater risk for developing melanoma than are blacks. However the risk for blacks is not insignificant. The research found that the total ultraviolet ray exposure over a given year correlates with the chances that an African American will develop melanoma.

"The darker the patient the more protected they are but over the course of time but what I mean is over the course of 20 to 30 year s all that ultraviolet exposure is cumulative, and at some point enough sun exposure occurs that leads to chronic sun damage. That sun damage builds up and eventually some of the cells get damaged despite the protection form the pigmentation and that can lead to skin cancer." instructs Dr. Melanomas in Blacks and Hispanics are more invasive and more likely to metastasize, and thus they are deadlier than melanomas found in whites. Part of the reason is the delay in the cancer being detected and diagnosed. Elian Portillo knows the risk, and uses SPF 45 sunscreen. "I don't want to get skin cancer, I don’t want cancer at all. I just want to be protected."

For more information on melanoma, click here