Risks of Suntanning

Dr. Norman Brooks completed his MD at the University of Colorado and is now the owner and operator of The Skin Cancer Medical Center in Encino, California. Over his decades of practice, Norman Brooks, MD, has gained expertise as both a practitioner and a researcher, having conducted research in the treatment of malignant melanoma. 

The sun produces harmful ultraviolet radiation that increases the skin pigment, known as melanin, and causes the skin color to change. The change in pigment is a sign of damage. 

Since suntanning increases the level of melanin, the most dangerous risk of tanning is skin cancer. Other risks of tanning include eye damage, cataracts, and immune system suppression. 

Unprotected UV exposure causes wrinkles, dark spots, and leathery skin, which are signs of premature aging. The sun’s ultraviolet rays also damage elastin, skin fibers that allow the skin to stretch. Other risks of suntanning include yellow discoloration of the skin and the dilation of small blood vessels under the skin.

The Skin Cancer Medical Center

The Importance of Early Detection of Skin Cancer

Norman Brooks, MD, is a California physician who practices at The Skin Cancer Medical Center and provides treatments that avoid unwanted scars. Among Dr. Norman Brooks’ areas of focus is the application of zinc chloride, which works to decrease tissue damage at surgical sites. He also engages with patients in helping them identify occurrences of skin cancer from the earliest possible moment.

Early detection is critical, with the five-year survival rate for melanoma, which is the most deadly form of skin cancer, 98 percent when it detected at the outset. This rate is only 62 percent in cases where the disease has reached the lymph nodes and is less than 20 percent when it metastasizes within organs distant from the origin site. While basal cell and squamous carcinomas are more common and have even higher cure rates, they can cause disfigurement and, in rare cases, death, when left untreated.

Identifying early signs of skin tumors begins with regular examinations in tandem with a dermatologist, as well as self-exams. Warning signs of the disease to watch for include recent and changing moles, as well as skin growths that scab or bleed and don’t heal normally within a month or so. The bottom line is that if a growth does no appear normal, it is worth checking out with an experienced professional.