Dermatologist: Sunscreen and Annual Skin Checks Vital to Minnesota Men’s Health

Summer is officially underway in Minnesota, and medical experts are urging men in particular to know the signs of melanoma and take more precautions to protect their skin.

Research shows that by age 65, men are twice as likely as women to be diagnosed with melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer. Men also have higher mortality rates.

Dr. Mohiba Tareen, board-certified dermatologist with Tareen Dermatology, said melanoma often appears on a man’s scalp, ears or back — areas that need sunscreen but are often overlooked.

“Things that are scaly, things that are growing, things that are bleeding, things that are itching and not going away, you should probably have it checked,” Tareen said.

Minnesota currently ranks second in the nation for melanoma cases, but Tareen said the disease has a 99% survival rate if detected early. She encouraged men not to think of dermatology as only a cosmetic issue, but to get an annual skin check, especially if they are over 40 or have a family history of the disease.

Being out on the water can increase UV exposure, Tareen said, and sun-protective clothing can help. She encouraged men to wear hats with brims that cover their ears and to keep reapplying mineral or chemical sunscreen creams — not sprays — with an SPF of at least 30.

Fair-skinned men, who make up a significant share of Minnesota’s population, are more vulnerable to UV damage. Tareen said they should take extra precautions to avoid getting extra red.

“For a lot of my gentlemen in Minnesota who tend to have kind of that underlying red complexion, I recommend sunscreens that have a little bit of niacinamide, which is a B vitamin that acts as an antioxidant that’s green tinted,” Tareen said.

She said green is the opposite of red on the color wheel, and tinted sunscreen can improve the overall appearance of skin.

Tareen said taking a high dose of vitamin D within a few hours of sunburn can also reduce inflammation and blistering skin. She said that matters because boys who have five or more blistering sunburns before age 20 increase their chance of developing melanoma by more than 50%.

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