RUNNING NEWS ITEM

Marathon Runners Are at High Risk for Melanoma

WEDNESDAY, 28 MARCH 2007

PRWeb -- As spring looms around the corner, marathon season will soon begin to take full force. 400 marathons are scheduled in 2007 around the country. There will be over 400,000 participants with an additional 500,000 onlookers creating quite a crowd. Amongst all the bottled water, ice cream, and pizza served at these events, there is also an increased risk for everyone present to develop Melanoma, which is the most dangerous skin cancer.

Melanoma originates in the skin cells which are called melanocytes and create melanin. Melanin is what gives skin its color and protects the deeper layers of your skin from UV rays. Essentially if one's skin receives too much UV light (from the sun or tanning booths), the melanocytes begin to grow abnormally fast and become cancerous. The end result is Melanoma.

An Austrian research team studied 210 white male & female marathon runners against 210 white male & female non-marathon runners. Each person was given total body skin exams, was surveyed about their habits, skin cancer family history, sun sensitivity, as well as observed for traits such as eye color, skin type and change in moles. The final study results revealed that runners had more abnormal moles (large, asymmetrical), more lesions suggestive of basal and squamous cell carcinoma and more solar lentigines (age spots or liver spots). All of these indicators are high risk factors for Melanoma.

Dr. Sam Speron a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon states many runners visit his office during the summer months as a precautionary visit and he recommends all marathon runners to see a Plastic Surgeon or Dermatologist annually.

Why would this be true? Obviously runners are exposed to the sun much more than the average person. First, they train only with short shirts and shorts which increases their exposure. They train on average 25-45 hours a week. Only a little more than 50% of marathoners use any form of sunblock. Finally, this high intensity activity depletes the runners' immune system which makes then more vulnerable to sun damage.

"The long term skin damage someone in their 20's, 30's, or 40's can do while running outdoors is not even comprehensible until it is too late," says Dr. Sam Speron, plastic surgery expert and consumer advocate. "More education on this topic is desperately needed as thousands of innocent people are exposed to increase of Melonoma by doing what they enjoy. The sad thing is that most runners do not even take proper precautions such as wearing sunblock. It's just like driving your car down the highway at 80 miles per hour without a seat belt!"

The initial indication of melanoma is usually a change in the size, shape, or color of a mole. However, melanoma can also appear on the body as a new mole. The most common locations are:

In Men: