Download National Healthy Skin Month

Pharmacy Phacts
Brought to you by the Auburn University
Healthy Tigers Program
Editor: Brittany M. Stallworth, PharmD Candidate 2013
National Healthy Skin Month
Dermatologists’ Top Tips
Skin Care
 Seek your dermatologist’s recommendations for proper skin care products.
 Sunscreen products that contain antioxidants used for sun-protection should be worn
during the daytime.
 Growth factors having repair properties that contain retinoids, peptides work better
if worn at night.
Skin Cancer
 See a dermatologist immediately if you should notice unusual changes in your skin
appearance.
o Skin Cancer is an abnormal growth of skin cells that develops on areas that are
exposed to harmful sunrays.
 Skin cancer can be categorized into three types:
 Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC)
 Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC)
 Melanoma
 “Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States.”
 “1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in the course of a lifetime.”
 Ways to Prevent Skin Cancer:
o Always avoid excessive sunrays between the hours of 10AM -2PM.
o Always wear protective clothing such as pants, hats, sunglasses and longsleeved shirts.
o Always use caution near water, snow and sand as they reflect damaging rays of
the sun.
o Always apply broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen.
o Always avoid Tanning Beds

“People who tan indoors just four times per year increase their risk of
basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma by 15%, and their risk
of melanoma by 11%.”

“Indoor tanners have a 69% increased risk of early-onset basal cell
carcinoma.”
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Perform Regular Skin Self-Exams
 Examine your body front and back in the mirror, look at the right and left
sides with your arms raised.
 Bend elbows and look at forearms, upper underarms and palms.
 Look at the back of your legs and feet, the spaces between your toes,
and the soles of your feet.
 Examine the back of your neck and scalp with a hand mirror.
 Finally, check your back and buttocks with a hand mirror.
What to Look for: The ABCDEs of MELANOMA
 A= Asymmetry: One-half is unlike the other half
 B= Border: An irregular, or poorly defined border
 C= Color: varies from one area to another
 D=Diameter: >6mm (size of a pencil eraser)
 E=Evolving: a mole or skin lesion that look different from the rest or is
changing in size, shape or color
References:
1. American Academy of Dermatology. (2012). www.aad.org.
2. Zhang M, Qureshi AA, Geller AC, Frazier L, Hunter DJ, Han J. Use of tanning beds
and incidence of skin cancer. J Clin Oncol 2012; 30(14):1588-93.
3. Ferrucci LM, Cartmel B, Molinaro AM, Leffell DJ, Bale AE, Mayne ST. Indoor tanning
and risk of early-onset basal cell carcinoma. Journal of American Academy of
Dermatology. 2011.
4. Rogers, HW, Weinstock, MA, Harris, AR, et al. Incidence estimate of nonmelanoma
skin cancer in the United States, 2006. Arch Dermatol 2010; 146(3):283-287.
5. Robinson, JK. Sun exposure, sun protection, and vitamin D. JAMA 2005; 294:154143.
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