Problems on the Rise : From Cancer to Acne--the Ugly Side of the Sun

Patchy, leathery skin? Warty growths? Moles? Liver spots? Acne? Varicose or spider veins? Freckles? Wrinkles? Eczema? Seborrhea? Malignant melanoma?

Blame it on the sun.

An unprecedented study, involving extensive examinations of more than 20,000 Americans from 1 to 74, has found that all these conditions are related to excessive exposure to the ultraviolet rays of the sun.

If the results sound distasteful, even frightening, that’s the point.

“The general impression is the sun does a whole lot of bad things, but that’s about it,” said Dr. Arnold Engel, an epidemiologist with the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Md. “But here we’ve listed a collection of specific skin conditions so people can have an ugly image they can keep in mind before they go out and bake themselves.”

Rising Incidence of Melanoma

Medical authorities have been concerned for years about a rising incidence in malignant melanoma, or skin cancer, they believe may be related to the American obsession with a dark, even tan.

National Cancer Institute figures show that new cases of melanoma increased 29.7% between 1975 and 1984, up to 8.5 cases per 100,000 people annually. Deaths from the cancer are also up 16%.

“At a time when the new cases and deaths from most other cancers is dropping, skin cancer is on the increase,” said Suzanne Haynes, with the Health Promotion Branch of the institute in Bethesda, Md.

“We’ve issued warnings and recommendations, but these particular messages may not have really gotten out to the public,” Haynes said. “I wouldn’t want to denigrate the risk of skin cancer, but it may be the public will pay more attention to the aesthetic.”

Engel and Haynes reported recently in the Archives of Dermatology on data culled from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted from 1971 to 1974. As part of the survey, 20,749 subjects received extensive examinations by dermatologists across the United States.

The subjects were categorized as having low, moderate and high sunlight exposure, based on their occupation and leisure time spent outdoors.

High exposure to the sun was associated with a host of damaging conditions: those mentioned above and a variety of eye, tongue and palate diseases. Overall, 36.7% of white men with high sun exposures had some skin damage, compared to 23.3% with little exposure. The figures for white women were 34.1% and 18.6%.

Sun-caused skin damage was far less frequent among blacks, primarily because their darker pigmentation is caused by increased levels of melanin, a chemical that protects the skin from ultraviolet rays.

Patchy Complexions

However, Engel pointed out, more than a third of blacks in the high category did develop patchy complexions.