A Look Into the Future for a Pair of Sun-Loving Twins

Aired on: December 11, 2012

Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall, chief medical officer at Pfizer, helped a pair of twins look into the future to see how their drinking and smoking habits could age them in 40 years, and now she’s tackling another important factor in aging: sun exposure. "Melanoma is the fastest-growing cancer in their age group,” she explains to sun-loving twins Rachel and Melody, whose family has a history of skin cancer. Dr. Freda continues, "We’re not necessarily suggesting don’t go out in the sun, but we really need to make sure there are precautions. Also, it’s really important to know how your risk is increasing; family history increases your risk, but if you’ve had five sunburns at any age, it almost doubles your risk of getting skin cancer.”

Make-up is used to illustrate how Dr. Freda says one twin might look if she follows a path of moderation in terms of sun exposure and how the other might age if her current behavior continues.