Another study is concluding that a person\u2019s genetic propensity for sunburn and skin damage are bigger risk factors than UV exposure itself for skin cancer, EverydayHealth.com reported on its web site Wednesday.<\/p>\n
The story looks at a study conducted by teams from the University of Alabama-Birmingham and the University of Wisconsin.<\/p>\n
\u201cPreviously, evaluations for skin cancer risk focused primarily on standards like gender. But the Birmingham and Madison researchers added family history, ethnicity, and an estimated 41,000 genetic variations specific to individuals to the model to provide further accuracy. They found that this all-inclusive recipe was the most precise in forecasting a person’s likelihood of developing skin cancer,\u201d EveryDayHealth.com reported.<\/p>\n
The story quoted lead author Dr. Ana In\u00e9s V\u00e1zquez, PhD, of the UAB Department of Biostatistics, as saying, “While many aspects of this technique are still under development, our new predictive model was able to account for a large proportion of each person’s predisposition for skin cancer.”<\/p>\n
The study is in line with others that have shown that traits like red hair and the number of moles a person has on their body are the biggest risk factors for skin cancer, regardless of one\u2019s sun exposure.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudies like this show that the UV-skin cancer issue is much more complicated than simply telling someone to avoid UV, which isn\u2019t natural,\u201d Smart Tan Executive Director Joseph Levy said. \u201cIt\u2019s sad that so many in the press and in public policy positions have not yet come to grips with how to properly address the nuance of teaching moderation and sunburn prevention instead of sun abstinence.\u201d<\/p>\n
The professional sunbed community teaches sunburn prevention as its bottom line \u2014 taking a balanced approach to sun care.<\/p>\n