Melanoma, beyond the possible clinical causes, may appear more frequently due to the presence of certain risk factors, some somatic and some environmental, including:
- A fair complexion and delicate skin, blond hair.
- Presence of freckles.
- A more limited amount of melanin, thus a lower defense against the harmful action of ultraviolet rays.
- Having been burned several times over the years during sun exposure, perhaps resulting in skin lesions.
- Having been highly exposed to ultraviolet rays either emitted by sunlight or from tanning lamps and sunbeds, factors that can result in a considerably increased risk of skin cancer or melanoma.
- Living in equatorial areas or at high mountain altitudes where the action of the sun’s rays is more direct and incisive due to higher ultraviolet radiation.
- Having many moles or suspicious moles, or many rashes on the body, or even having an unusual type of mole can increase the risk of melanoma.All moles should be checked periodically, and particularly those that are larger in size and have irregular contours.
- A familiarity with melanoma due to cases that occurred to their relatives or close relatives.
All these factors of increased susceptibility to melanoma do not exclude that people with different somatic features or from different geographical areas may also be affected.
Prevention
Doing prevention and reducing the risk of melanoma means first of all doing a personal check-up of one’s body and skin, to notice in time the presence of lesions, eruptions, moles or other skin manifestations not only on the most visible parts of the body but also those less accessible.
Beyond that take a number of preventive measures such as:
- Avoid exposure to the sun during the hottest and sunniest hours of the day.
- Prefer for outdoor activities less hot hours and days with sun covered by clouds, or even cooler days in other seasons, including in winter how to expose yourself to the sun beyond the recommended time both to avoid sunburn, but also to avoid excessive absorption of rays, which are in any case dangerous for skin cancer.
- Use a skin protection cream with a protection index of at least 30 to be applied even when the sun is not shining, as the rays can still be potentially harmful.
- Cover the lightest and most delicate parts of the body, protecting arms and legs with cool clothing, covering the head with cotton or straw hats with wide brims protect the eyes with anti-reflection sunglasses against UV rays (uva, uvb, uvc), which are harmful to eyesight.
- Do not use UV lamps and sunbeds, which can increase melanoma risk.
