SATELLITE BEACH, Fla. — The unofficial start to summer is right around the corner and Memorial Day weekend likely to spur a lot of travel to Florida’s many beaches.

But for those thinking the next several days are the perfect opportunity to get that “base tan” before heading nto the summer, dermatologists are warning that could lead to some serious consequences.

“A ‘base tan’ is the biggest misconception because people say, ‘Well, if I get a really good tan the first couple days of summer, then I’m protected the rest of summer,’” said Dr. Divya Haryani, the co-owner of Iconic Dermatology. “And what they’re basing that off of is that they’re getting some pigment on their skin, which will then protect them, but that’s not true.”

Haryani said it just takes one bad sunburn to put someone at a much higher risk of developing a basal cell or melanoma. She and other dermatologists put a spotlight on these diseases during May, which is regarded as Melanoma Awareness Month.

According to the American Cancer Society, white patients are 20 times more likely to have melanoma compared to black patients. The organization describes it as a 1 in 38 chance for White people compared to 1 in 1,000 for Black people, and 1 in 167 for Hispanic people.

However, the picture is notably different when looking at the rate of who deals with the biggest effects of melanoma. Researchers in 2020 determined that “minorities consistently suffer worse melanoma-specific survival,” concluding that Hispanic patients see a worsening disparity from 2000 to 2010.

Additionally, a 2022 study published in The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology titled “Disparities in Dermatology: A Reflection,” found that “Compared to White patients, Black patients are more likely to present with late-stage melanomas that are deeper and have higher incidences of regionally advanced or distant disease. The percent of melanoma cases initially diagnosed at Stage III/IV was twice as high for Black and Native American patients compared to White patients.”

It went on to state that, “Even when diagnosed at the same stage, Hispanic, Native American, Asian and Black patients have greater the risk of mortality than White patients.” Haryani said there are a few reasons behind the disparities.

“One is access to dermatology," she said. "In rural places and also just for patients in general, dermatologists aren’t super accessible sometimes. Wait times are long, so a delay in diagnosis is a big thing."

The 2022 study showed that the racial makeup of practicing dermatologists doesn’t reflect the population.

Only 4.2% of dermatologists are Hispanic despite being 18.5% of the U.S. population. Similarly, Black Americans make up 13.4% of the country, but only represent 3% of dermatologists.

Haryani said there’s also a misperception from some in minority communities about their skin.

“A lot of time patients feel that if they have melanin-rich skin tones that they are protected, that they can be in the sun all the time. But the truth is, melanoma especially, has a big genetic component to it,” Haryani said. “So, it’s not just the sun, but now you have genetics involved and you can get melanoma in places where the sun doesn’t shine.”

The Disparities paper points to the following contributing areas for the variances based on race:

• Clinical presentations of skin cancers — basal cell carcinoma (BCC) can be less obvious for people of color and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) “more often occur in non-sun-exposed areas

• Educational material and knowledge gap — there are comparatively fewer resources that “provide images of lesions on darker pigmented skin, despite differences in clinical presentations,” creating less informed dermatologists

• Patient education — There’s a misperception that being a person of color decreases the odds for skin cancer and therefore, many “are less likely to perform self-examinations, especially in sun-protected areas.”

• Cultural competency and workforce diversity — In addition to the lack of representation in the field of dermatology compared to the population at large, “On surveys skin of color patients more often reported that White dermatologists inadvertently avoided physical contact and performed cursory examinations,” according to the reportwhich could lead to missed diagnoses, SATELLITE BEACH, Fla. – The unofficial start to summer is right around the corner with Memorial Day Weekend likely to spur a lot of travel to Florida’s many beaches and other outdoor activities.

In May 2013, Victor Rodriguez said he dad began coughing and had trouble breathing unexpectedly.

After taking him to the hospital, he was diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic melanoma and died six months later.

“Besides living in Florida, he wouldn’t be someone you would suspect as ‘high risk,’ not someone who’s super fair-skinned,” Rodriguez said. “Hispanics, we don’t really hear about it too much that we’re at risk for something like that. So, it was a shock to me and my sister.”

Rodriguez said his dad was also a baker for more than 40 years and didn’t spend excessive amounts of time outside. As a registered dietitian, he’s spent the last couple of decades working in health care at Health First in Brevard County.

In addition to that work, he now uses his platform on social media to share his father’s story in hopes that it could help encourage other minorities to pay closer attention to their skin health.