What do we know about Melanoma - Skin Cancer?

[kach22i]

I was doing a little research involving maps (just for fun) and came up with a question which I trust the Pelican brain trust can resolve.

Is it over exposure to the sun, or lack of exposure to the sun which increases rates of Melanoma (skin cancer)?


Skin Cancer Facts For Your State | SunWise | US EPA


In particular Oregon, so overcast that when you see a little blue sky behind the clouds they refer to them as blue clouds.

Is indirect light worse than direct light?

I've been told that it is for years, and now these maps may confirm this.

Bad UV map hurts melanoma risk screening | Geographical Perspectives

Explanation
Melanoma is more common in people who live in areas that get large amounts of UV radiation from the sun. For example, melanoma is more common in California than in Minnesota, where the sun is not as strong.

Problem; California is colored lighter than Minnesota in the first map.

I think the person in the last link above is asking some of the same questions, is there anyone which can answer them?

.................................................. .........................................

Is this stereotype below a false one? And if so, why is the government still promoting it as factual?

Marcelle Leahy (Vermont) - photo on right side of site
Skin Cancer Facts For Your State | SunWise | US EPA

Growing up, I was always in the sun and sunburned. All that sun finally caught up to me in 2003 when my new dermatologist decided to biopsy a discolored spot on my face. I’d had it for years, but something about it didn’t feel right. The result: a large melanoma in situ.

[wdfifteen]

I had always heard it was sunburn that was bad. It kind of makes sense with the data you have. Periodic strong exposure resulting in sunburn vs relatively constant exposure resulting in suntan.

[vash]

I thought the UV Rays, the dangerous ones shoot thru cloud cover. So we get a false sense.

Dunno. Early detection is key. B

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

I had always heard it was sunburn that was bad. It kind of makes sense with the data you have....

+1 ...and BAD sunburns especially as a youngin' too. Must be true...I read (typed) it on the Internet .

[Nordwest]

I grew up in so cal. Lots of sunburns as a child. In my 50's now and have had melanoma. First found on the top of my head.
Dave

[fastfredracing]

It killed Bob Marley

[wdfifteen]

The fashion among farmers changed from straw hats or pith helmets to ball caps in the early '60s and by the late 70s there was a huge increase in melanoma on farmer's ears.

[bivenator]

Why don't you do a search of sunscreen sales. That may be an underlying factor in the presence of melanoma. I pose that states with more cloud cover have lower sunscreen sales.

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by bivenator

Why don't you do a search of sunscreen sales. That may be an underlying factor in the presence of melanoma. I pose that states with more cloud cover have lower sunscreen sales.

I'm finding more information using that criteria, but might not be able to obtain proprietary marketing data (same issues getting data on adult diapers and boner pills)

More perplexing information below.


UV Index

UV Index Values
Exposure Categories

0 - 2 Minimal - Wearing a hat is sufficient protection.
3 - 4 Low - Wearing a hat and a sunscreen with SPF 15 is recommended.
5 - 6 Moderate - Wearing a hat, a sunscreen with SPF 15 and staying in the shade is recommended.
7 - 9 High - In addition to the precautions recommended above, it is advised to stay indoors between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
10 + Very High - In addition to the precautions recommended above, it is advised to stay indoors if possible.
UV Index Category Sunburn Time
over 9 extreme less than 15 minutes
7-9 high about 20 minutes
4-7 medium about 30 minutes
0-4 low more than 1 hour
When the UV index is over 9, UV-B is extremely strong, and you will burn in less than 15 minutes.

Health effects of sun exposure
Health effects of sun exposure - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Long-term sunlight exposure is known to be associated with the development of skin cancer, skin aging, immune suppression, and eye diseases such as cataracts and macular degeneration.[7] Short-term overexposure is the cause of sunburn, snow blindness, and solar retinopathy.

Again, I'm just not seeing the information which is used to draw upon so called "common sense" conclusions.

[Tobra]

It is due to a number of causes.

UV damage, particularly as a youth
Genetics-If you have "white child syndrome" fair hair, light colored eyes and skin, you are more at risk. A lot of palefaces in Mini-so-cold

I believe that melanoma is the only cancer that crosses the placenta. Mother can give it to her unborn child.

My wife had a melanoma on her leg and on her shoulder. I told her she needed to get the one on the leg taken care of, which she did not do until I told her I would not marry her until after it was removed. I was the only one that looked at it and said it was trouble. After that, the dermatologist listened very closely to what I said.

[bivenator]

I'm finding more information using that criteria, but might not be able to obtain proprietary marketing data (same issues getting data on adult diapers and boner pills)

More perplexing information below.


Are you a 1%er? Sure have a lot of leisure time.

[john70t]

'Australians' are supposed to have a higher than normal rate.
Like 75% by retirement age.

Paler women are more sexually attractive, but biologically inferior.

[vash]

Originally Posted by john70t

'.



Paler women are more sexually attractive, but biologically inferior.

But they get dibs on all the hot pale guys.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by john70t

....Paler women are more sexually attractive.....

Yep....I clearly remember waiting for the annual Sports Illustrated "Igloo Edition" to arrive .

[Evans, Marv]

Had a H.S. buddy who died of melanoma. Was a SoCal guy with auburn hair & lots of moles. Spent a decent amount of time at the beach in his younger days. He died six months after learning of it. Told me he had a decent sized mole on his chest that had started itching. Said he would scratch it, but it kept itching. One day he noticed it had puss coming out of it. That's when he went to a doc and learned about it.

[Tobra]

John has apparently never seen Zoe Saldana

The Aussies are too close to the South Pole. Ozone is not as thick down there, less UV protection.

[motion]

I HATE it when you guys bring stuff up that makes me squirm in my chair. I'm an auburn-haired, freckled, moled Irish/Frenchie who is absolutely addicted to the sun. I need a daily mega dose. I've got strange stuff all over, and periodically go in to get stuff frozen off. Guess I should start paying closer attention to the early warning signs. My brother had a chunk removed from his leg several years ago.

[kach22i]

It just may be that the NE and NW have more white people and fewer minorities than the rest of the country.

The map that shows where America came from: Fascinating illustration shows the ancestry of EVERY county in the US
Census data shows heritage of 317 million modern Americans
Clusters show where immigrants from different nations chose to settle
Largest ancestry grouping in the nation are of German descent with almost 50 million people

American ethnicity map shows melting pot of ethnicities that make up the USA today | Daily Mail Online


The Irish and English may be skewing the data in NE and NW.

So many Germans.

EDIT:

Does everyone else see the category "American" in pale yellow?

It's the lower Appalachian mountains region.

Is it over mixed ethically for too many decades to be put in an old world category?

[Bill Douglas]

Umm, at the moment I've got about 20 something burnt patches - raw flesh from sunspots being removed. I got two other ones cut out and biopsied. Luckily not a melanoma. My sister got one cut out a few years ago. I go to a skin doc every six months for checks. I kind of grew up at the beach and have spent many hundreds of hours in boardshorts sitting on a surfboard. Even if it kills me I'm pleased for the lifestyle in the sun I've had.

[J P Stein]

It's not something to ignore. I had a spot on my forehead that I had removed a few years back.....no recurrence.