A new study is shedding light on skin cancer risks in the Sunshine State, with a stark finding about who is most affected. According to the research, carried out by Florida Atlantic University, older men in Florida are dying from skin cancer at about twice the rate of women, a gap that has caught the attention of health experts.
The size of that disparity is striking, yet the explanation is not simple. Experts say there is no single reason why older men in the state are dying at such a higher rate, pointing instead to a combination of factors and long-term habits rather than one clear cause that sets men apart from women.
One of the recurring themes is sun protection. Men are generally less likely to use sunscreen, a basic and widely available defense against harmful ultraviolet rays. Skipping it, day after day and year after year, leaves the skin more exposed to the kind of damage that can eventually lead to cancer.
The pattern extends to other protective measures as well. Men are also less likely to wear protective clothing when they are out in the sun, and less likely to check their own skin for unusual moles, one of the warning signs that can point to a developing problem if it is caught early enough.
On their own, each of these habits might seem minor, but over time they can add up. That cumulative effect is especially significant in a place like Florida, a high-UV environment where residents are exposed to strong sunlight throughout much of the year, increasing the stakes of every missed precaution.
The state's broader numbers underline why the findings matter. Florida ranks second in the country for melanoma cases, placing it among the places where this serious form of skin cancer is most common, and where the consequences of poor sun habits are most likely to be felt.
Taken together, the study frames the higher death rate among older men less as an unavoidable fate and more as the product of behavior that could be changed. The factors highlighted, from using sunscreen to wearing protective clothing and watching the skin for changes, are the same everyday steps that experts say can make a difference over a lifetime in the sun.