On this International Men’s Day, SkinVision is putting the spotlight back on men’s health, with a focus on skin health.

Did you know that melanoma affects men more often, and more severely?

The American Academy of Dermatology Association warns that by age 50, men are more likely than women to develop melanoma. This number jumps by age 65, making men 2 times as likely as women to get melanoma. By age 80, men are 3 times more likely than women of the same age to develop melanoma.

Men are also almost twice as likely as women to die of skin cancer across Europe and North America, according to the World Health Organization.

This may come as a shock to most, but what could help explain the link between gender and melanoma?

Differences in Skin

Research shows that men have thicker skin with a thinner fat layer underneath. What’s worse, male skin has more collagen and elastin than female skin. These factors can make men’s skin more vulnerable to UV damage. In addition, a study in the Netherlands discovered that men’s skin had a more intense reaction to sun exposure than women’s skin; recent research also demonstrates faster and better recovery from sun damage in female skin than male skin.

Hormones

Because women tend to have higher levels of estrogen, studies show that it makes them respond better to skin cancer treatment, resulting in a higher likelihood of survival. This is potentially due to a link between estrogen and an increased immune response against melanomas. In England and Wales for example, throughout 2018, about 5 men and 3 women per 100,000 individuals died from malignant melanoma. From 2000 to 2018, the death rate due to melanoma remained higher for men. Deaths from melanoma also increased during this period among men while for women it was relatively stable.

3. Men have lower awareness of sun safety

A survey conducted by the AAD in 2016 found that fewer men than women knew that tanning is not healthy, that a tan cannot protect you from harmful UV rays, and that skin cancer can develop even on skin with little exposure to the sun. To make matters worse, men tend to apply sunscreen less often than women, making them more susceptible to sun damage.

Fighting Back

While we cannot change the biological makeup of our skin, proper sun protection can reduce our risk of developing melanoma. Seeking shade, wearing sun-protective clothing and staying indoors when the sun’s rays are strongest are simple things we can do to keep our skin healthy. For men, it’s even more important to get regular skin checks as melanoma is highly treatable when caught early. You can perform an accurate 30-second skin check with the SkinVision application anytime, anywhere.

This International Men’s Day, we are offering one free skin check to all the men out there. Here’s what you need to do: