Bariatric Surgery Can Reduce The Risk Of Skin Cancer

JAMA Dermatology recently added a study that might turn out to be monumental for cancer research. In the study, researchers found bariatric surgery to reduce the chances of getting skin cancer, including melanoma.  

This study was conducted by researchers at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. They ran a nonrandomized controlled trial of Swedish Obese Subjects. The participants included 2,007 patients suffering from obesity that received Bariatric surgery and 2,040 obese patients that had conventional treatment for their overweight body. They then compiled the data and found the link between bariatric surgery and reduced chance of skin cancer. 

What the researchers found is that bariatric surgery left the patients with a lesser risk of skin cancer and melanoma. This statistic wasn’t affected at all by their body mass index (BMI), glucose or blood pressure levels and unhealthy consumption habits, etc.  

Moreover, another Danish research has found that a commonly prescribed medication could increase the chances of getting cancer. The water pill is hydrochlorothiazide and is usually prescribed for fluid retention. While it was known that the pill makes people more susceptible to UV radiation and hence skin cancer, researchers have now found that it also increases the chances of non-melanoma skin cancer. 

If you are currently on the pill, try asking your doctor for other therapy options.  Especially important if you have a history of skin cancer in your family or have already experienced it yourself. This will make you more susceptible to the disease in the future. 

This is why sunscreen application is important, people. Dr. Elizabeth Martin, president of Pure Dermatology & Aesthetics in Hoover, Alabama (US) urges everyone to be vigilant about sun protection. According to a study, regular sunscreen application can reduce skin cancer chances by up to 40 percent. Martin advises people to not use tanning beds at all and apply an SPF 30 or higher sunscreen every time they go out during the day.