Daily Question is excerpted from the JustAnswer archives and features information provided from an expert on JustAnswer.
Q: Is it possible my glasses are causing skin cancer? In the past 30 years I’ve had 7 basal-cell growths treated or removed from my nose and both sides of my face in front of my ears, just above where the glasses rest.
Constant rubbing of glasses on the nose could raise doubts. (Photo: Flickr/Richard Masoner)
A: Whether chronic irritation can cause cancer has long been debated in medicine, but the answer is generally no. Basal cell carcinoma is not felt to be the result of trauma or chronic rubbing, although one cannot rule that out entirely. The areas you mention are areas that receive a great deal of sun, and that is a known carcinogen.
Besides a sunscreen, you might benefit from photodynamic therapy to decrease the number of basal cells. This is usually covered by insurance and is always covered by Medicare.
I also posed your question to two dermatology friends of mine, and they both said not to blame your glasses.
– Answer from Arnold Oppenheim, MD, dermatologist and expert on JustAnswer.
See also: Could This Growth on My Arm Be Skin Cancer?
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