The human body benefits from sun exposure. And a little bit of tan protects you from the sun. Right? Wrong! The human body benefits from sun exposure. And a little bit of tan protects you from the sun. Right? Wrong! The body does indeed benefit from sun exposure. But a little bit of tan does not necessarily protect you from the sun. Let’s see why.
May
10
We need to get alerted: skin cancer is the most popular cancer. Every year, more than 1,000,000 skin cancer cases are diagnosed and tens of thousands of skin cancer patients die in the U.S. alone. The number of skin cancer exceeds that of all other cancers combined. Among more than 1 million of skin cancer cases, 100,000 are melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer and there is no cure for it.
The skin cancer risk is more serious to the children because they are young and more susceptible, and they expose to more sunlight than adults due to their extensive outdoor activities. Half of the total life time exposure for an individual is received during his childhood. So special care is needed for the children.
Usually, skin cancers come years later after the subjects get exposed to too much sunlight. So just because you do not see a skin cancer right away does not mean you are free of skin cancer risk. So careful protection is the key.
The government health officials are working hard to alert people of the skin cancer risk. They try to have schools to take measures to protect students against excessive exposure to the ultraviolet light.
Both ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B can cause skin cancer, which means some ultraviolet light once thought safe can be dangerous. In the summer, it’s advised that people avoid sunlight from 10 a.m through 4 p.m. when the sunlight is strongest and you are likely to get sunburn. Sunburn can be defined as a condition that your skin receives so much sunlight radiation that a skin color change is noticeable. Rules of thumb to avoid sunburn is, if your shadow is shorter than you are, then the sunlight is too strong and you can get sunburn. If you have to go outdoor, wear something protective such as clothes and big wide-trimmed hat to shield as much sunlight as possible. In the hottest day, the sunlight can burn your skin in a couple of minutes or less.
Statistics indicated that people get one or more blister caused by sunlight will have 2 or 3 times higher risk of getting skin cancer than the general population. Both occasional heavy exposure and mild chronic exposure can cause skin cancer.
Also keep in mind that ultraviolet rays exist not just in the summer, or hot days only. In the spring or even winter, you do not feel the heat when exposed to the sunlight, but the ultraviolet rays are there. You can still get sunburn in such cool days. So do not take the sunlight lightly. Other than the sunlight, sun lumps and tanning facility that emit ultraviolet rays can also pose a serious risk of skin cancer.
May
10
“Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is responsible for 90% of the visible signs of aging on the skin of whites,” says Dr. Michael J. Martin, former Assistant Clinical Professor in the Dept. of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at University of California, San Francisco.
Blacks’ skin, however, ages much slower.
Why are most dark-skinned blacks protected from harmful UV rays? Because compared to whites, blacks possess more melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color.
Melanin
Melanin offers protection against UV rays for blacks and other dark-skinned people. Conversely, fair-skinned people are much less protected and more susceptible to skin cancer. Furthermore, albinos’ skin offers no protection.
Although blacks’ skin produces more melanin than whites’, all skin has the same number of melanocytes, the cells that manufacture the melanin.
Melanocytes manufacture melanin from an amino acid, tyrosin, with the help of an enzyme, tyrosinase. In the bottom layer of the epidermis above the dermis, UV light stimulates the production of melanin in the form of insoluble melanosomes. These surround the epidermal cells, which move up to the surface of the skin. The result is a tan.
Blacks’ skin produce more melanin, even in the absence of sunlight, and their type of melanin, eumelanin, is more effective at blocking solar rays. However, white skin produces melanin only in the presence of sunlight and after the UV rays have penetrated the lower portion of the epidermis and have caused skin damage.
May
10
Anyone who currently has, has had, or wants to prevent Actinic Kerotsis or pre-cancerous skin lesions should be evaluated and treated using UV photography and photodynamic therapy (PDT).” Once a person has been successfully treated using this approach, it is recommended they return for a yearly follow up to prevent future problems
May
10
Sara spends much of her summer near the beach. She lives in a mild climate and is very athletic. She loves to swim, bike and play games outdoors. Sara knows the dangers of the sun and so she opts for tanning salons to get her ‘golden glow’ while being sure to apply sunscreen every day before heading out.
May
10
Overexposure to the sun and UV rays is rarely obvious at the time, and on many occasions, probably quite unintentional. However repeated exposure has rather more adverse long-term implications for our bodies and our health. The fact that damage caused to skin cells during sunburn can not only accelerate the aging process, but also increase the risk of cataracts and skin cancer, should certainly demand our attention.
May
10
The experience of sunburn can be a very efficient (i.e. painful) reminder to heed adequate protection on future occasions. However more importantly, it should be a reminder of the long-term effects of sun exposure on our bodies and health - which can include aging of the skin and cancer.
May
10
There has been a recent increase in the past decade of skin cancer among pilots; it is an interesting phenomena. Some say we have only recently noticed this because people are living longer and we are flying more international flights and planes are flying at higher altitudes.
May
10
All life on the planet and everything in nature is dependent on the sun. Without the sun, there would be no life on the planet. All life is dependent on the sun. Plants convert the sunlight into energy, and all animals need plant life or other animals in order to live. All life in nature is dependent on the sun. We as humans are part of nature. We need sunlight just like everyone else.
Sunlight is essential for your life and health. This often brings up the concern of skin cancer. People are told the sun causes skin cancer and they should wear sunblock to prevent skin cancer. This is a big fat theory of the medical symptom and disease care profession. Skin cancer is on the rise because people are supposedly spending more time in the sun, and this is the supposed “proof” that skin cancer is caused by the sun. Did the experts happen to notice that most cancer is on the rise? Does the sun cause these cancers as well?
Well, my friends, I have a question for you. How many other bad things are on the rise that people are doing? Lots. Just because the sun hits the skin, the powers that be say it means that is the one thing that “causes” skin cancer. They are looking for the one cause and one cure. Remember, there is no one cause of anything. There are only contributing factors.
In my opinion, it is not the sun that contributes to cancer, but being burned by the sun. Most people get no exposure to the sun for months; then they play weekend warrior and go out in the sun all weekend, often getting burned. My inner knowing tells me it is this burning that is a major contributing factor to skin cancer, not the actual sun exposure.
So if you do not build up to being in the sunlight, and you know you will be in the sun for a long time, use a chemical-free sunblock.
May
10
Everyone knows that redhead sunburn easier. But do they get skin cancer easier? New research indicates that the pigment in their skin may instigate cancer even if they don’t suffer from sunburns. As you may have heard, getting sunburns in childhood is a risk factor for skin cancer, even later in life.
Who is prone to sunburn? Of course if you have light colored eyes, hair and skin, you are at higher risk. This combination is frequent among redheads. Redheads have a different type of melanin than people with dark hair. Blondes even carry some of the same pigments as redheads.
Duke University said that the melanin in redheads is more vulnerable to damage from the sun’s UV rays. Redheads, under exposure to the sun, developed a reaction of oxidative stress. This is where damage to DNA and cells may occur and over time, form cancer. Research used UVA and UVB rays for testing. UVA can cause damage without burning.
Sunscreens protect against UVB, but its not been shown to help against UVA. Sure, some protection is there, but the FDA will need to set guidelines for consumers. It all boils down to this: wear sunscreen and put it on your kids.
Here’s what you do:
- Apply plenty of sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher and reapply every 2 hours or as indicated on the bottle.
- Reapply after swimming, sweating, even drying with a towel.
- Apply even during cloudy days.
- Avoid the sun in the middle of the day. 10 and 4 is indoor time.
- Wear a hat, clothing and sunglasses.
- Take care of the kids. Overexposure early in life may lead to skin cancers later in life.
Even so, the FDA has a warning label:
“Warning -This product does not contain a sunscreen and does not protect against sunburn. Repeated exposure of unprotected skin while tanning may increase the risk of skin aging, skin cancer, and other harmful effects to the skin even if you do not burn.”