Am i gonna get skin cancer?

Question

I was tanning outside today and sat out too long and gotta a pretty bad sunburn on my legs. Does this mean in the future i am going to get skin cancer for sure? Does every sun burn cause skin cancer ? And does tanning without burning cause skin cancer too ?

Answer 1

Sun exposure whether you tan or burn, overtime may cause skin cancer. ALWAYS use sunscreen... at least 15 SPF.

Its also a good idea to have your doctor check over your moles (beauty marks) annually. Early detection is very key.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

You can get skin cancer from one serious burn and/or continous tanning/burning. It doesn't matter what you can see, when you actually see something it could be too late and you'll need medical treatment to remove the cancer. The possibility/probability you will actually get skin cancer depends on several specific things, for instance:
1.) How bad were you really burned?
2.) Have you ever been "seriously" burned before?
3.) Do you often go tanning or get red from working/playing outside?
4.) Is there a family history of any type of cancer?
and there are others.

PLEASE do not listen to those who say they have been burned "___" many times and "nothing has happened to me, so don't worry about it." You are not like everybody else, you are an individual and therefore should be cared for as an individual.

Skin cancer is real, it can take parts of your body, your beauty, and your life. When I had surgery to remove a "mole" on my nose that bled occassionally, my doctor found that all of the tissue around it was affected as well and they had to do a 2" skin graph from my forehead to replace the skin on the left side of my nose they took and put in an 1 1/2 inch square mesh material under it to restructure the nostral so I could still breathe and the change in my appearance wouldn't be as devastating.

When people used to ask, "What happend to you?" I originally told them I was involved in a car accident, but since my surgery in 1998 when I was actually dead for about a minute, I tell EVERYBODY the truth and hope they NEVER EVER have to experience what I and my family have had to go through all these years. It's been a very long road.

Please see your family physician and use high rated (30+) SPF screens and lotions whenever you are outside for long periods of time. I wish you a very long and healthy life.

Answer 4

Not all people who tan or sunburn get skin cancer.
I have treated female patients who never tanned who had skin cancer removed from their faces.
They had what is called 'peaches and cream' skin and did not tan because they had freckles that would get dark while the rest of their skin stayed white.
The best defense is to use the highest rated suntan lotion, do not sunbathe between the hours of 10 and 2 pm and always try not to burn.
Always take a shower after tanning to wash away the lotion and to cool down the skin.
Do not a an 'all over' tan as breasts and buttocks seem to blister faster due to the softer skin.
As for tanning causing skin cancer, I think more people would have this problem if this were true.

Answer 5

Skin cancer can come from sunburns, absolutley. However, most skin cancers do not manifest themselves for years, or even decades. Although cases of skin cancer in someone as young as you are out there, they are very rare. We do over 80% of our sun damage before we turn 25, but it doesn't surface as cancer until well into our 40s and later. The most common types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma.

Basal cells are the result of cumulative damage over years and have very low metastatic potential, although they can cause significant localized tissue damage.

Squamous cells and melanomas are more related to burns, the more severe the more likely damage resulting in cancer was caused. Family history may play a role in a person's chanced of converting a burn into cancer at some future date as well.

Sun exposure and tanning does not automatically mean skin cancer. The darker complected you are, the better defense your skin has against the UV radiation. However, continued exposure increases the risks.

I work for a specialized skin cancer surgeon, facial mostly, and still go out in the sun with sunscreen.

Take precautions, but enjoy!

Answer 6

White skin can get skin cancer too. Sun burn can cause cancer in long term. Remember to put on sun block every time you tan outside.

Answer 7

If you get a tan or sunburn then you have damaged your skin and increased the chance of getting skin cancer.

If your skin gets darker as a result on being in the sun then you have increased your risk of getting skin cancer, whether you get burnt or not. There's nothing you can do to stop it other than not getting a tan (and don't even bother with solariums, they're just as bad as the sun).

Answer 8

Here in Australia if you had a pretty bad sunburn,in the long run you might get skin cancer.The sun here is unforgiving & harsh. The most skin cancer come from here as stated in the statistics.The government has got this campaign against skin cancer wheter its summer or winter about protecting yourself at an early age.Put on a hat, cover-up yourself & slap a suncreen on while outdoor gardening or in the beach & swimming pool.

Answer 9

I got a bad sunburn on my forehead once and developed skin cancer in the same place about two years later.

Answer 10

If your goin to tan, do it the smart way,in a bottle its the best way to prevent early aging,;possible sun damage, even certain cancers, most people dont know that when you tan most of the UVA and other cancer causing rays are in direct shade,always wear a sunblock no matter what, sure looking tan and fitting in is perfect for a few weeks but do you really think its a wise decission? Im sure you are more important to people in your life to chance it.:)
good luck