Common Painkillers Linked To Drop In Skin Cancer Risk

Have a headache?

Go ahead and take something for it. As long as you aren't poppin' those things like Skittles, it could really benefit you.

One, it could get rid of your headache. Two, if it's aspirin, it might lower your risk of heart attacks. And three, it could be lowing your risk of skin cancer!

In a new study from Denmark, people who had taken aspirin, ibuprofen and related painkillers were less likely to get skin cancer, compared to those who rarely used those medications!

Here's how it works:

"NSAIDs work by inhibiting specific enzymes involved in inflammation. Previous studies show that elevated levels of these enzymes are found in skin cancer and that they are involved in important steps of cancer development such as inhibition of cell death, suppression of the immune system, and stimulation of invasiveness and blood vessel growth."

The study found those with a history of using aspirin and other NSAIDs had a 13 percent lower risk of melanoma compared to non-NSAID users, and a 15 percent lower risk of squamous cell carcinoma!

No difference was found for the risk of basal cell carcinoma, a third cancer type, though.

But, get this: they also looked specifically at people who had been taking the pills for at least seven years, and used them twice a week or more. Know what they found? Long-term, high-intensity NSAID users had a 46 percent lower risk of melanoma, a 35 percent lower risk of squamous cell carcinoma and a 17 percent lower chance of getting basal cell carcinoma!

The downside is that the drugs have also been linked to an increased risk of kidney cancer and come with known bleeding risks, but even those aren't concrete — so weighing the benefits is a priority!

More research needs to be done, of course, and we're not saying to take a pill every day.

But hey, if you have a headache, go for it!!

Science! Science! Science!

[Image via AP Images.]

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