Surprising but very real: the areas of the body affected by melanoma are not the same depending on whether you are a man or a woman. The way of life explains it in part.
Here is a very surprising difference: the distribution of melanomas is not the same according to the sex. This is what shows a study published online in the British Journal of Dermatology. A team from the Reims University Hospital (Marne) collected data associated with 1,542 melanomas recorded in the Champagne-Ardenne region between 2004 and 2011.
Trunk in men, legs in women
In men, melanoma is more localized on the trunk, often exposed in summer. Women are more affected in the lower limbs, especially the ankles and the bottom of the feet. Summer clothing can be singled out: skirts, shorts and sandals favor the exposure of these areas. However, there is a progression of melanoma in women under 45 years of age. “This means that there is an evolution in young women, who expose their trunk intermittently – whether in the context of sea, swimming or tanning activities or in the context of UV cabins”, underline the Prof. Florent Grange, head of the dermatology department at the Reims University Hospital and co-author of the study, contacted by why actor.
Hair protects women
It is by observing the distribution of melanomas on the face that the results are most glaring. They reflect not only the traditional way of life of the populations observed, but also the importance of certain physical traits. Thus, men are much more affected on the periphery of the face (neck, ears, temples, scalp and nape of the neck in half of the cases) while the center of the face is more affected in women (mouth, nose, eyelids, cheeks in the middle). 3 out of 4 cases).
“This leads us to think about how to style their hair for women, since long hair or hair that falls to the neck protects against melanoma. For men, in particular if they are bald, this leads one to think about this vulnerability and the interest in protecting oneself with caps, hats and sunscreens, ”said Professor Florent Grange.
Target prevention
“Women need to know the importance of their hairstyle, not only in terms of aesthetics, but also in terms of health,” jokes Professor Florent Grange. The imbalance is also lateral: if the right part of the female face is more affected, it is the opposite in men. Here again, the tradition weighs heavily: it would be neither more nor less a repercussion of the position in the car.
“We think that the explanation is that, in the car, the men are more often on the left and the women on the right. This means that a part of melanomas are explained by exposure to the sun in the car, whether you drive the windows open or closed. When the window is open, the UVA and UVB rays pass, the window closed, the UVA rays still pass, ”summarizes Professor Grange.
These observations are valuable because they should make it possible to adapt, but above all to target, prevention advice. Emphasizing the importance of protecting yourself in the car is one of the priorities: “I think we have to educate people about the value of protecting yourself from the sun in the car. This is the case for those who have professional use of their car (taxis, road, commercial), but also for anyone who drives to go on vacation. Nobody puts on cream, ”laments Professor Grange. Preventive messages should also take advantage of the variety of media available and adapt to the target audience.
“We can find more targeted mediums: the bald man in men’s magazines, themes for women in women’s magazines. There could be information campaigns in motorway tolls, on sunscreens, etc. ”, explains Professor Grange. “We could also target certain populations, such as truck drivers, who spend hours in their trucks. They may not be followed enough in this regard. “
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