AS we enter the summer season, doctors are warning the public of the dangers of skin cancer caused by excessive exposure to the sun.
Many will be going to the beach every weekend for the next few months, but do we ever pause to wonder about the long-term damage we may be causing to our bodies?
Dermatologists say we should, with cases of skin cancer increasing around the world.
In Cyprus, around 2,000 skin cancers are reported every year, of which 50 are melanomas.
Ahead of European Melanoma Day next Monday, Constantinos Demetriou, President of the Cyprus Society of Dermatology and Venereology (CSDV), said skin cancer “can be genetic but the main cause is from over-exposure to the sun, which is how malignant melanomas develop. Even chronic irritation of the skin, such as glasses rubbing on the nose, can trigger it.”in, a sudden appearance of nodules, bleeding and itching of the skin and expanding black spots which change colour.”
Demetriou advised children, people with fair skin and elderly people, who already have sun damaged-skin, to use a sun protection factor of at least 15 and to make sure it contains a good UVA screen. Sunbathing between 11am and 4pm should also be avoided.
He went on to say that “Cyprus is inhabited by people who have a natural, built-in SPF of eight due to their genetic make-up, so it’s not a major problem on the island.”
But he warned against complacency, and said that, “due to the island’s relative proximity to the equator, the sun is very powerful and tourists, especially from northern countries, should be careful.”
Demetriou, who has 25 years of experience in the field, said people should always be on the lookout for warning signs. The CSDV carries out a ‘melanoma day’ once a year, where patients are examined free of charge for signs of skin cancer.
This year, it will be taking place next Monday.
There are several different types of cancer referred to under the general label of skin cancer, the most dangerous of which is malignant melanoma.
It is an increasingly common condition, in part attributed to increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation, against which no level of sunscreens offers any decisive protection.
According to The Skin Cancer Foundation, the only international organisation concerned exclusively with the world’s most common malignancy, cancer of the skin, “the incidence and mortality of skin cancer have increased exponentially during the past several decades, and every year the figure mounts.”
The mission of the non-profit Foundation is “to control the epidemic and to prevent skin cancers through public education campaigns about the need for sun protection all year round, from birth to old age. Public attitudes towards tanning and sun exposure must also be changed.”
More than a million people will be diagnosed with skin cancer around the world this year, while more than half of all new cancers diagnosed are skin cancers. One person dies every hour from skin cancer, primarily melanoma.
More than 90 per cent of all skin cancers are caused by sun exposure, yet fewer than 33 per cent of adults, adolescents, and children routinely use sun protection.
The effects of skin ageing caused by the sun can be seen as early as in one’s twenties.
While melanoma is uncommon in African-Americans, Latinos, and Asians, it is most deadly for these populations.
The Foundation says that, “coupled with a yearly skin examination by a doctor, self-examination of your skin once a month is the best way to detect the early warning signs of the three main types of skin cancer. Look for a new growth or any skin change.”
