The sun is out on Long Island as summer returns once again, with swaths of people planning out their first day back at the beach.
But as beachgoers prepare to pack their bags, Northwell Health’s Dr. Bhuvanesh Singh is urging them to ensure that important skin protecting products are packed alongside their swimsuits and towels to be proactive in preventing skin cancers.
“The fear is not of detecting it. The fear is if you ignore it and it gets bigger, then you end up with bigger scars,” Singh said. “These cancers can then spread and that’s when we start to get into trouble… So people should actually be less afraid of early diagnosis and more afraid of ignoring something so that they don’t get into those challenging situations.”
May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, timed to coincide with the ushering in of summer, the associated sun rays and high UV.
Sun damage is cumulative, Singh said, so continued exposure leads to greater damage and increases chances of developing cancer cells. He said repeated sunburns expedite this damage, too.
To prevent sun exposure and skin damage, Singh suggested wearing clothing that covers the body more, such as swimsuit coverups and swimwear that covers more of the skin, as well as utilizing sunscreen lotions and being diligent with re-application.
For those beach days, Singh said sitting under an umbrella to stay out of direct sun light for ling periods of time is also beneficial.
Singh is an otolaryngologist, or an ears, nose and throat specialist, who has expertise in head and neck surgery and reconstruction as well as skin cancer.
He is the surgical director of Northwell Health’s newest skin cancer research program, where he contributes to the advancement of skin cancer treatment and developing new methods.
“We’re a new group but a very skilled group of teammates that have made it an exciting group,” Singh said. “I’m looking forward to really having an impact, not only in our community but hopefully worldwide as we progress.”
Skin cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer, leading to millions of patients nationwide seeking care for the disease.
According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70. More than two people die of skin cancer every hour.
Singh said that while a majority of patients diagnosed have positive responses to treatment, the number of patients overall is staggering, He said with a high prognosis for treatment and curability, skin cancer has become a sort of “ignored disease.”
But while the percentage of patients who do well in treating their skin cancer, Singh said the number of individuals who do not is no small amount.
“When you’re talking about millions and millions of cases, even if 5% have a bad outcome, or 2% have a bad outcome, the numbers are still fairly high,” Singh said. “People die of skin cancer and ignoring it becomes a big problem.”
Singh said one of the focuses of Northwell’s skin cancer program is to research all the forms of skin cancer, especially more common forms.
The program, which is collaborating with other health institutions and pharmaceutical companies, is developing clinical trials to assess new treatments. Singh said Northwell will serve as a first point of contact for many of these new advancements, which he called exciting.
“We’re really taking a very broad approach,” Singh said.
As for why patients don’t come in early for a diagnosis, Singh said many times it can be attributed to lack of knowledge on detecting skin cancers. He said oftentimes skin cancers can be misidentified by patients as pimples, rashes or infections, leading to not seeking a medical opinion.
But due to this, Singh said it can stall diagnoses and contribute to the advancement of the cancer. Like many cancer, Singh said the chances of survivability and curability are higher when it is diagnosed earlier.
To detect skin cancer, Singh said he recommends people of higher risk, such as those who are fairer skinned, blonde and blue-eyed, take a more proactive approach and get fully body skin screenings by a dermatologist.
Another risk factor that increase the chances of developing skin cancers include high sun exposure at younger ages.
Singh also suggested self-evaluations for everyone, which includes regularly assessing one’s skin for any additional or changing spots. He said to look for things that are changing, including in size and color.
For patients who aren’t noticing any changes but uncertain about the status of a new blemish, Singh says he shares with patients the six-week rule: if a newly recognized skin blemish does not go away within six weeks, or doesn’t appear to be going in the direction of away, then get it checked out.
