TEXAS — Texas has the eighth-highest UV index score in the country. That means there's an increased risk for skin cancer.

“Today I had some biopsys done on my chest,” patient Elizabeth McConkey said. “So, I’ll find out if I have skin cancer or not.”

Elizabeth McConkey is a San Antonio native. So, she’s no stranger to the Texas heat.  

“But I wouldn’t trade any of my sunny days for anything,” McConkey said. “My days deep-sea fishing with my dad are the best days of my life.”

Now in her 60s, she’s dealing with damaged skin. It was caused by years of exposure to harmful UV rays.

“I had a wound on my nose that would never heal,” McConkey said. “So I assumed it was skin cancer. My father has skin cancer. It happens to us because we’re always out in the sun.”

A new QuoteWizard study found Texans are at high risk for skin cancer because of sun exposure.

“We grow a lot of things in Texas,” Dr. Robert T. Gilson said. “We grow skin cancer because of the heat.”

Gilson is a dermatologist at the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio.

“Basal is the most common. One in five of us will get a skin cancer,” he said.

He says most skin cancer is curable, especially if caught early. Dr. Growths on skin or areas that scab and won’t heal are red flags.

“Melanoma is the one that is deadly,” Dr. Gilson said. “So if you see a pigmented skin lesion or a changing mole, that is the one that people talk about or worry about. And it’s in young people now.”

Nationwide, skin cancer deaths are down 6%. But the number of cases is up 5%. Folks up north are developing skin cancer at a higher rate than southern states.

“One thing that may help us in Texas, people don’t go out when its super hot,” Dr. Gilson said.

People of color are not exempt from skin cancer. Dr. Gilson says that’s a myth.

“They can, especially the nails the hands and the feet,” Dr. Gilson said.

McConkey isn’t surprised the majority of Americans don’t wear sunscreen in the summer. But she warns others to take care of themselves before it’s too late.

“I would suggest wearing a hat or sunscreen, because that was something we didn’t do,” she said. “It will kill you if you don’t take care of it.”