By
Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, May 20, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- For
all of those men who view a mustache as a largely ornamental addition to their
masculine appearance, a new study reveals it can also guard against lip cancer.
"Mustaches seem to protect the lip the
same way that hair protects the scalp,"
explained study author Dr. Daniel Aires. He is director of dermatology with the
University of Kansas Health System. "While this makes intuitive sense, it
had not been tested before."
To do just that, Aires and his team examined
200 male patients who had already been diagnosed with a precancerous condition
known as actinic keratosis on the head or face.
"Actinic
keratosis is a scaly spot on the skin that can develop into a
dangerous cancer called squamous cell carcinoma," Aires
explained. "Since lip skin is so thin, lip actinic keratoses can invade and become deadly
faster than actinic keratoses elsewhere on the skin."
Roughly 3 million Americans are diagnosed with
actinic keratosis each
year, he noted, accounting for one of every seven dermatology visits. But,
"likely many more go undiagnosed and untreated, since studies estimate
that more than 10% of adults have actinic keratosis," he added.
Nearly 60 of the men in the study had a long
history of sporting substantial "sheltering" mustaches, meaning
mustaches that are at least 9 millimeters thick (about a third of an inch).
In the end, Aires and his colleagues
determined that years of mustache-wearing ultimately translated into a 16 times
lower risk for developing actinic keratosis on their lower lip, compared with
their mustache-free peers. The finding held up even after accounting for other
risk factors, such as family history of skin cancer, a personal history of sunburns,
a smoking habit, and/or age.
The American Academy of Dermatology points out
that once someone develops this cancer,
their lifetime risk for recurrence goes up. And experts warn that, if left
untreated, actinic keratosis can lead to squamous cell
carcinoma.
This type of cancer often
affects the outer layer of skin, around the lips, ears, bald scalp and
shoulders. It can also affect the moist lining of the inner mouth, nose and
throat. From there it can spread.
According the U.S. National Institutes of
Health, actinic keratosis is the seventh most common cancer in the world with
50,000 cases in the United States each year, and often strikes men in their 50s
and 60s.
So should smooth-lipped men trash their razors
in favor of a hairier aesthetic?
"The patients in our study had mustaches
since their teens or early 20s, so we don't know if a
later-life 'stache will be as protective," said Aires. "However,
studies have shown that using sunscreen in later life can reduce
actinic keratosis, so the same logic could apply to later-life mustaches. It
may help, and it almost certainly won't hurt," he added.
"Of course, this assumes your significant
other is OK with it," Aires noted.
The findings will be published in the June
issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
All of this "makes sense," said Dr.
Steven Wang, director of dermatologic surgery and dermatology at Memorial Sloan
Kettering Cancer Center, in New Jersey.
"Obviously, there are a lot of variables,
including the baseline skin type of the individual, how thick and big the
mustache is, your genetic make-up and your family history of skin
cancer," Wang said.
"But, interestingly, I have previously
looked at how good hair is in terms of protecting the scalp," said Wang,
who is also chair of the Skin Cancer Foundation's photobiology committee.
"And it turns out when someone has a lot of hair, it's a perfect shield.
It actually works very well. So when it comes to covering lip, this isn't too
much of a surprise."
Copyright © 2019 HealthDay. All rights
reserved.
SOURCES: Daniel Aires, M.D., J.D., director,
dermatology, University of Kansas Health System, and professor, University of
Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City; Steven Wang, M.D., director,
dermatologic surgery and dermatology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center,
Basking Ridge, N.J., and chair, photobiology committee, Skin Cancer Foundation;
June 2019, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
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