If you’re just applying sunscreen like most people, you may not be doing enough.
Dermatologists have taken to social media to warn that many people are forgetting to apply lotion to four key parts of the body that are prone to skin cancer.
These are the back of the hands, the ears, the scalp and the neck.
Harvard-trained skin cancer surgeon Dr. Neera Nathan shared a TikTok with more than 680,000 views and said she removes skin cancers from these areas every day.
Many people who apply sunscreen regularly forget about areas that are directly exposed to the sun, such as the ears, neck, scalp and hands, experts say.
Since these areas are often directly exposed to sunlight, they are particularly dangerous places to overlook.
“Most people apply sunscreen to their face, but don’t realize it, and they are often exposed to direct sunlight,” said Dr. Nathan. Newsweek Magazine.
Dr. David KimA New York City dermatologist who trained at Stanford, agreed, saying the number one place people forget to apply sunscreen is their ears, followed closely by their scalp and hands.
He said that while completing his medical degree, he regularly found skin cancers on the ears of outdoor athletes who practiced without sunscreen.
Social media users flooded the comments section of the dermatologists’ videos.
“I’m going to jump in a pool of sunscreen,” TikTok user gabybee said in Dr. Kim’s video.
“Scalp?! OMG I didn’t know that!” TikTok user Britt.will7 said on Dr. Nathan’s video.
“Oh, I just don’t go out,” said user SparkeZ.
Skin cancer can appear anywhere on the body, even in areas not exposed to the sun.
Frequent, direct exposure to the sun’s cell-damaging ultraviolet rays greatly increases the likelihood of developing a cancer-causing mutation.
More than 80 percent of skin cancers are caused by sun exposure, according to Global cancer research.
There are three main types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.
Each of them varies in severity and lethality, but many can be successfully treated with surgery if detected early.
Still, skin cancer kills about 20 Americans every day, and is expected to kill more than 8,000 people by 2024, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.
Approximately 13 percent of skin cancers occur on the scalp, According to a 2018 study from Paracelsus Medical University in Austria.
Of these, only one to two percent develop into malignant skin cancer and spread to other parts of the body.
Common symptoms of skin cancer include a discolored area of skin, a spot that itches or bleeds, a pink bump with a hard surface, and a sore that doesn’t go away. According to the Cleveland Clinic.
Another way to stay on the lookout for skin cancer is to keep an eye on your moles and freckles to learn the “ABCDEs” of melanoma.
This includes looking out for asymmetrical moles, moles with poorly defined borders, moles with strange coloring, moles that are large in diameter, and moles that are changing in shape or size.
The best way to defend against this condition is to wear sunscreen and protective clothing when you go out in the sun, especially at midday when the sun is at its peak, Dr. Nathan said.
A spray sunscreen should be especially effective for the scalp, as it can reach the hair follicles, she said, adding: “I recommend a broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher that is water resistant. Sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours.”
