Whereas UV radiation can certainly trigger mutations in DNA, not everybody who’s spent quite a lot of unprotected time outdoors develops pores and skin most cancers—nor does everybody accrue the identical stage of injury from the solar’s rays (or a tanning mattress’s UV bulbs), Dr. Nazarian explains. Your physique has mechanisms in place that assist to restore that DNA harm—however extended and/or extreme solar publicity ups the possibilities that your cells gained’t get well, probably main to varied sorts of pores and skin cancers, together with melanoma, essentially the most critical type.

Genetics and particular person components like melanin ranges additionally play a task in whether or not that publicity results in most cancers. Whereas it’s undoubtedly true that having fairer pores and skin (and, subsequently, much less protecting melanin) places you at the next danger for melanoma, individuals of all pores and skin sorts can and do develop pores and skin cancers. Actually, you’re extra more likely to get identified with late-stage melanoma when you’re Hispanic or Black; 52% of Black individuals and 26% of non-white Hispanic individuals don’t catch their melanoma till it’s already at a complicated stage, whereas simply 16% of non-Hispanic white sufferers get identified this late, in response to the Pores and skin Most cancers Basis. Much more sobering: The five-year melanoma survival price is simply 71% for Black individuals, in contrast with 94% for white individuals.

So, the massive query: Is it doable to undo DNA harm from years of unprotected solar publicity, or are you just about screwed?

Simply since you haven’t been identified with pores and skin most cancers doesn’t imply a historical past of solar harm is not any large deal, or which you can’t take motion to guard your self now. “Dermatology is not only a watch-and-wait specialty anymore—there are issues you are able to do to lower your [skin cancer] danger,” Dr. Nazarian says.

You gained’t ever be capable to totally erase the previous, however there are a couple of therapies that may undo a minimum of some earlier DNA harm, like lasers and particular topical lotions. In different phrases, when you’ve accrued quite a lot of solar harm over time, no, you’re not essentially screwed. Listed here are some choices which may assist.

Prescription actinic keratosis lotions

Darkish moles aren’t the one sign that you’ve got probably critical solar harm. If in case you have crimson, brown, grey, white, or flesh-toned patches of tough pores and skin referred to as actinic keratosis (a sort of precancerous development that exhibits up on generally sun-exposed areas, like your face, fingers, ears, and neck), your physician might prescribe you an Rx-only topical remedy, reminiscent of imiquimod or fluorouracil cream. These therapies work by concentrating on unhealthy cells and killing them with out harming the encompassing wholesome pores and skin.

“You’ll be able to consider them as chemotherapy lotions,” Dr. Zeichner says. “They assault rapidly-dividing cells…however to be able to clear the broken pores and skin, they trigger scabbing.” If in case you have actinic keratosis (or sure sorts of squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma, which regularly present up as little sores, pimples, or bumps that change over time and gained’t heal), your major care physician or dermatologist can prescribe these therapies, which can be coated by insurance coverage. Simply know that there’s a serious draw back: The method of scabbing and therapeutic can take as much as a month. It’s brutal, we all know, however when you think about that the options (like surgical elimination and cryotherapy) usually tend to go away seen scars, it may be a bit simpler to swallow.