Introduction
Contrary to what most people believe, American men are more prone to skin cancer than women (Voiland, 2008). In fact, according to statistics, more men die due to skin cancer than women every year and there are reasons behind this fact. This paper will identify some of the most common reasons why men are more prone to skin cancer than women using strong evidences from journals and publications synthesized over the internet and from books.
What is Skin Cancer?
Before trying to compare both sexes’ vulnerability for skin cancer, it may be wise to identify first and know the nature of the said disorder. According to the skin cancer foundation, skin cancer, (also known as Melanoma but can also have many other forms), is one of the most common types of cancer in the United States (Rogers, 2006). It usually develops first as a pre-form type of cancer which is usually in the form of actinic keratosis. One or several of this pre-form type of cancer could arise from the body and cause skin cancer later on.
In some cases, squamous cell carcinomas may develop in lesions that were previously diagnosed as simply actinic keratosis, a major criteria in identifying skin cancer. These phenomena could happen both in men and women commonly between the ages 40 to 50 (NCI, 2010). Just like any other type of cancer, skin cancer can have different variations too. The most usual form of skin cancer in the US is BCC or Basal Cell Carcinoma. Although they are relatively more common than any other type of cancer, they are generally not life-threatening but they could cause impairments if not properly treated.
Causes of Skin Cancer in Men
Both men and women could be affected by skin cancer but why is it that men are most commonly affected ones? It is believed that more or less 90 percent of all cases of skin cancer are due to overexposure to the harmful Ultraviolet rays of the sun. Meaning, the more often an individual bathes in the sun or the more he does not wear protective clothing especially between 10 in the morning up to 3 in the afternoon, chances are he will develop skin cancer in the future.
Occupationally, men are more prone to be exposed in the sun especially if their occupation demands exposure to the sun. Women on the other hand simply stay inside their houses if they are a housewife.
Additionally, most females usually get easily irritated upon being exposed to sunlight. Fortunately, most of the occupations today house their workers in fully-air conditioned rooms with minimal exposure to sunlight already but occupation could really be a factor why men are more prone to skin cancer than women.
Majority of the men diagnosed with melanoma or any other type of skin cancer are aged over 50 (NCI, 2011). Also, studies have stated that the risk of developing skin cancer for men will double if he had experienced 5 or more sunburns prior to a diagnosis for skin cancer.
Relationship of Skin Cancer with Ethnicity
Although men are more prone to skin cancer than women, white men could be considered as the most prone to skin cancer. Black people, regardless of their gender and age, can tolerate higher intensity and longer exposure to ultraviolet rays than their western counterparts, the whites. This is because of a certain substance in their skin called melanin. Generally, the darker the skin tone is, the more melanin it contains. The more melanin in the skin in turn, causes that individual to negate more of the Ultraviolet rays, which is a common cause of skin cancer.
Common areas of Skin cancer
Men are prone to develop skin cancer in a lot more areas than women. A male individual is a good candidate to develop skin cancers or cancer-related tumors in his neck, shoulders and back area while women are only prone to develop such on their legs and arms. The neck, shoulders and back regions are the most commonly exposed areas whenever men roam to the beach topless. Women do not generally walk in the beach without their tops on and this could be a factor why men, according to statistics are more prone to skin cancer.
Diagnosing Skin Cancer
Skin cancer can be diagnosed by doing simple skin exams. A biopsy or different radiographic scanning procedures could be conducted depending on the case to provide more accurate findings.
Conclusion
The main reason why men tend to have higher incidence rates of skin cancer is because their skin is more sun-sensitive than women (DeNoon, 2007). It is also stated that men’s skin are 2-3 times more sensitive than women’s. Given that circumstance, when both sexes are placed under the same environmental and physical stresses, especially the ultraviolet rays from the sun, men will tend to suffer more from the casualties of a sun burn which could later on develop into a skin cancer.
References
Voiland, A. (2008). Why Skin Cancer Kills More Men Than Women. US Health Hospitals.
Accessed November 2011. Available at http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/on-men/2008/06/26/why-skin-cancer-kills-more-men-than-women.
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
Sun Protection. Cancer Trends Progress Report – 2009/2010 Update. National Cancer Institute. Accessed
November 11, 2011. Available at http://progressreport.cancer.gov/doc_detail.asp?pid=1&did=2007&chid=71&coid=711&mid+=.
National Cancer Institute. (2011). SEER Stat Fact Sheets: Melanoma of the Skin. Accessed November 2011.
Available at http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/melan.html.
DeNoon, D. (2007). Men’s Skin More Sun Sensitive. WebMD. Accessed November 2011.
Available at http://www.webmd.com/melanoma-skin-cancer/news/20070402/mens-skin-more-sun-sensitive.
