Most people see an esthetician to relax with a facial, enhance their facial features with dermal filler, or get some botox or a laser treatment to reduce the visible signs of aging. But did you know that regular visits to your esthetician can also play a key role in preventing one of the most common forms of cancer?
That’s right! Beyond shaving years off and improving your appearance, and giving you a youthful glow, there are aesthetic treatments that can make your skin healthier, which helps in the prevention of skin cancer.
In this article, we will go over what skin cancer is, what causes it, ways to lower your risk, and the role aesthetic treatments can play in both skin cancer prevention and reducing the appearance of sun-damaged skin.
What is Skin Cancer?
Skin cancer is a type of cancer that occurs when skin cells begin to grow abnormally. Skin cancer affects millions worldwide. In fact, skin cancer is by far the most common type of cancer. One in five people will develop skin cancer before the age of 70.
Skin cancer can occur anywhere on the body, but it is most common in the skin most exposed to sunlight, such as the face, neck, and hands. In advanced stages, some skin cancer can move to your lungs, liver, brain, bones, digestive system, and lymph nodes.
Skin cancer is something that should be in the back of everyone’s mind. While most skin cancer, especially non-melanoma skin cancer, is treatable with a very high survival rate when the disease is caught and treated early, it should still be taken very seriously. According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 20 Americans die from melanoma every day.
Recent statistics reveal skin cancer diagnoses are on the rise, with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, becoming increasingly prevalent, especially among younger generations. According to the American Cancer Society, melanoma rates have been rising for the past 30 years, with an estimated 100,000 new cases diagnosed each year in the United States alone.
Skin cancer awareness is crucial. Americans need to take sun exposure, tanning bed use, and protecting and caring for the skin very seriously if we ever want these numbers to go down.
Types of Skin Cancer
Skin cancer can manifest in several forms, each with its own potential risks and characteristics.
There are three main types of skin cancer: Basal Cell Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, and Melanoma. Here are a few details about each type of skin cancer:
Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC)
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer. It typically appears as a small, shiny bump or a red, scaly patch. BCC usually occurs in areas of the body exposed to the sun, such as the face and neck. BCC rarely spreads to other parts of the body, but it can cause damage if left untreated.
Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC)
Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common type of skin cancer. It often shows up as a firm, red nodule or a flat lesion with a scaly crust. SCC also most commonly occurs in areas exposed to the sun, like the face, ears, and hands. If left untreated, SCC can spread to other parts of the body.
Melanoma
Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. It typically looks like a new mole or a change in an existing mole. Melanoma can occur anywhere on the body, even in areas not exposed to the sun. If not detected early, melanoma can spread rapidly to other organs.
What Causes Skin Cancer?
Skin cancer is primarily caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from natural sun or the use of tanning beds. This radiation can damage the DNA in skin cells, leading to abnormal cell growth and the development of cancer. This could be long-term exposure or short periods of intense sun exposure and burning.
If you wear sunscreen and don’t over-expose yourself to natural sunlight or tanning beds, you are less likely to develop skin cancer. However, studies show that it doesn’t take many sunburns to drastically increase the chance of developing melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
Research shows that those who experience only five or more severe sunburns during childhood have an 80% higher risk of developing melanoma.
Environmental factors, including pollution and exposure to carcinogens, can exacerbate the effects of UV radiation and contribute to the development of skin cancer. Additionally, genetic predisposition can also influence susceptibility to skin cancer, and if you have a weakened immune system, you are even more at risk. A weak immune system can also compromise the body’s ability to detect and eliminate abnormal cells, including those that may lead to cancer.
Even though our bodies try to fix this damage, too much exposure to the sun over time can overwhelm the body’s repair systems. It can take a long time—sometimes many years or even decades—before these alterations build up enough to turn into skin cancer.
Perhaps that is why most people don’t take skin cancer very seriously. They assume they are in the clear when, in reality, it can take years of accumulated damage before the damage becomes visible or turns into cancerous skin cells.
This is exactly why it is never too late to start taking preventative measures, such as wearing sunscreen and having regular aesthetic treatments that can improve the health of your skin.
Why it is Important to Maintain Healthy Skin to Prevent Skin Cancer
Researchers believe that in most cases of skin cancer (approximately 85%), the skin damage that leads to cancer occurs before the age of 18. It is pretty safe to say if we could go back in time, most of us would do things differently.
Unfortunately, time travel isn’t an option, and once the deep layers of the skin are damaged, for the most part, that damage is permanent. That said, it is never too late to start taking better care of your skin and do things to make your skin healthier to prevent further damage that increases your chance of skin cancer.
There are plenty of ways you can improve and maintain the health and appearance of your skin. We’ll touch on those a little further down. First, to motivate you to take skin cancer seriously and start taking better care of your skin in hopes of lessening your chance of developing it, let’s look at a few ways having healthy skin could help prevent skin cancer.
7 Ways Healthy Skin Prevents Skin Cancer
1: Healthy Skin Provides Enhanced Protection from the Sun
When your skin is healthy, it’s better equipped to shield you from the sun’s harmful UV rays. By keeping your skin healthy, you’re giving it the best chance to prevent sun damage that can lead to skin cancer.
2: Healthy Skin Supports Natural Defenses
Your skin has built-in defense mechanisms, like producing melanin to protect against UV damage and repairing any harm that occurs. When you maintain healthy skin, you’re giving these natural defenses a boost, helping to keep cancerous cells away.
3: Healthy Skin is More Resilient Against Environmental Factors
Pollution, toxins, and other environmental factors can affect your skin. However, when your skin is healthy, it’s better equipped to handle these challenges. Maintaining good skin condition reduces its susceptibility and decreases the likelihood of skin cancer.
4: Healthy Skin Makes Unhealthy Skin Easier to Spot
If you have healthy skin, it will be much easier to spot any unusual changes or abnormalities that could be a sign of skin cancer. Regularly checking your skin for anything that seems off is essential for catching skin cancer early.
5: Healthy Skin Strengthens the Immune System
When your skin is healthy, it can better defend against harmful pathogens like bacteria and viruses. Additionally, healthy skin supports the production and coordination of immune cells, which are essential for identifying and eliminating abnormal cells that could lead to skin cancer.
Essentially, by keeping your skin in good condition, you’re helping your body’s immune system work more effectively to prevent skin cancer.
6: Healthy Skin Facilitates Skin Repair
Healthy skin has a better ability to repair itself. Whether it’s from a sunburn or other source of harm, the healthier your skin is, the more likely it can effectively heal and regenerate, minimizing the risk of cancerous cell formation.
7: Prioritizing Skin Health Makes You More Aware
If you have a regular skincare regime and are prioritizing skin health, you are much less likely to skip putting on SPF or forget to schedule a visit to see your dermatologist and esthetician. It also makes you more aware of any changes in your skin that might be a bit suspicious.
Aesthetic Treatments That Promote Healthy Skin
As mentioned, avoiding overexposure to the sun and tanning beds and wearing sunscreen daily are all vital to preventing skin cancer and further skin damage. Regular skin checks and awareness of changes in your skin are also essential for identifying potential signs of skin cancer early on.
However, we are learning that maintaining healthy skin through regular aesthetic treatments could also be key to preventing skin cancer. There are many aesthetic treatments you can have performed that can improve skin health and resilience, which can play a role in preventing skin cancer.
The following are some aesthetic treatments skin experts recommend for healthy skin. They focus on exfoliation, hydration, and stimulating skin renewal, all of which are essential aspects of maintaining healthy skin and potentially reducing the risk of skin cancer.
Microdermabrasion
Microdermabrasion is a non-invasive exfoliation treatment that uses a unique device to gently remove dead skin cells from the surface of the skin. By buffing away dull, damaged skin cells, microdermabrasion reveals smoother, healthier skin underneath.
This unique exfoliation process also stimulates cell turnover and collagen production. Additionally, microdermabrasion can help improve the effectiveness of skincare products by allowing them to penetrate deeper into the skin. These are all things that can drastically improve the health of your skin.
Microneedling
Microneedling involves the use of a device equipped with fine needles to create tiny punctures on the skin’s surface. These micro-injuries stimulate the skin’s natural healing response, triggering the production of collagen and elastin—which are the building blocks of healthy skin.
As collagen levels increase, the skin becomes firmer, smoother, and more resilient. Microneedling can also improve the appearance of sun damage, fine lines, wrinkles, and acne scars by promoting skin renewal and regeneration.
Chemical Peels
Chemical peels involve the application of a skin-safe chemical solution to the skin, which causes the top layer to peel off, revealing smoother, healthier skin underneath. Peel treatments can improve skin texture, reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and even out skin tone.
Chemical peels also promote cell turnover and stimulate collagen production. Additionally, certain types of chemical peels, such as those containing alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) or beta hydroxy acids (BHAs), have exfoliating properties that can help remove damaged skin cells.
Exosome Treatments
Exosome treatments use exosomes, which are tiny vesicles derived from stem cells containing growth factors, cytokines, and other signaling molecules. These treatments can promote tissue repair, reduce inflammation, and stimulate cellular regeneration.
Additionally, exosomes have been shown to regulate the immune system, possibly strengthening the skin’s natural defenses against UV radiation and other environmental stressors. This could help reduce the risk of skin cancer.
Laser Skin Resurfacing
Laser skin resurfacing is a cosmetic procedure designed to improve the appearance of sun-damaged skin by targeting visible signs of damage. Laser treatments are great at removing the damaged outer layers of skin and stimulating collagen production.
While this can’t reverse sun damage at a cellular level, it can enhance the skin’s appearance and make your skin healthier in general. Some lasers and laser skin resurfacing treatments to consider include: Clarity II, V-Beam, Pigmented Laser Treatment, and Fractora.
Facials
There are several facials you can incorporate into your skincare regime that can help make your skin healthier. Here are a few of our favorites:
The HydraFacial
HydraFacials are a unique type of facial that can improve skin health by deeply exfoliating, moisturizing, and more effectively delivering essential, customized serums that can help strengthen the skin’s natural barrier and make your skin better equipped to defend against environmental stressors, including UV radiation.
HydraFacials can also help improve the appearance of already damaged skin. By exfoliating dead skin cells, unclogging pores, and promoting cell turnover, these treatments reveal fresher, smoother skin underneath.
DiamondGlow® Facial
DiamondGlow® is an advanced skincare treatment that combines exfoliation, extraction, and infusion of specialized serums, going beyond traditional facials to deeply cleanse, hydrate, and revitalize the skin.
By targeting multiple aspects of skin health in one session, DiamondGlow® not only improves skin texture and hydration but also supports overall skin health, potentially reducing the risk of skin cancer and other skin issues in the long run.
Aesthetic Treatments That Improve the Signs of Sun Damage
Skin cancer should be your number one motivator for taking better care of your skin. But let’s be real, we don’t like how sun damage makes our skin look, either.
While there is less you can do to repair already damaged skin cells, there are plenty of effective ways to drastically reduce the signs of sun damage that make you look older, such as wrinkles, lines, sun spots, and sagging skin.
In addition to the aesthetic treatments mentioned above, here are five more aesthetic treatments to consider if you want to lessen the appearance of sun-damaged skin:
Botox
Repetitive facial movements, such as squinting from the sun and sun damage, can lead to fine lines and wrinkles. Botox injections can smooth them out by temporarily relaxing the muscles responsible, giving you a more youthful and refreshed appearance.
DAXXIFY™
If squinting has left you with frown lines between your eyes, you might want to consider DAXXIFY®, the first and only long-lasting, peptide-powered FDA-approved frown line treatment.
This frown line aesthetic treatment is unique because it is the only formulation that uses a novel peptide as a stabilizer and does not contain human or animal byproducts. The results are also longer lasting, lasting up to 9 months.
Dermal Filler
Sun damage can lead to volume loss and sagging in the skin, resulting in lines and hollows. Dermal fillers can be strategically injected beneath the skin’s surface to restore lost volume and fill in deeper lines, helping to rejuvenate the appearance of sun-damaged skin.
PDO Threads
If your sun-damaged skin has left you with severely sagging skin, PDO threads offer a non-surgical solution to lift and restore facial contours affected by sun damage. These dissolvable threads are carefully inserted beneath the skin to provide support and lift, resulting in a firmer, more youthful appearance.
Conclusion
Slathering on a high-quality SPF every single day (rain or shine) is non-negotiable. It is the number one way to promote healthy skin and lower your chances of developing skin cancer. If you don’t use sunscreen every morning, you should start there. You should also have regular skin checks performed both at home and by a dermatologist.
However, we are learning that aesthetic treatments also play a significant role in preventing skin cancer because they can help improve the overall health of your skin— and it’s a nice bonus that they can help erase the visible signs of existing sun damage as well.
If you are interested in aesthetic treatments that can help improve your skin’s health, contact The Lett Center for a complimentary skin consultation.