CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — Despite the many benefits of our blazing sun, it also emits two types of radiation, and its ultraviolet rays enter our skin, damaging our DNA and causing mutations.
“Basically, once you get enough mutations in your cells, that can lead to cancer,” says board-certified Southern Utah dermatologist Dr. Steven Peine, adding that it is a well-documented fact that ultraviolet rays of the sun damage our skin cells and cause the disease.
Learn more about how your body reacts to the sun from Vivida Dermatology’s Dr. Peine in the media player above.
While there are certain genetic conditions that predispose people to skin cancer, they are very uncommon, Peine said. Probably the biggest role genetics play deals with melanoma. It is well known that melanoma runs in families and there are specific mutations that can lead to it.
“A lot of people talk about the ‘multiple-hit hypothesis.’ If one of the hits to your DNA is a genetic mutation, and then the sun’s ultraviolet radiations cause more mutations, that can prematurely give you skin cancer over what a regular person would have who doesn’t have that genetic mutation.”
Additionally, people who have had organ transplants should take extra precautions because of the immunosuppressant medications they are taking so their bodies don’t reject the organ. It is an interesting phenomena, Peine said, because our immune system normally kills skin cancer in many cases.
“However, if a person is on immunosuppressant medications to block their immune system, their predisposition to get skin cancer is much higher,” he said. “That illustrates the importance of our immune system in fighting skin cancer.”
To learn more about dermatology, skin cancer treatments or to schedule a consultation, visit the Vivida website.
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