Since the beginning of time man has been inspired by , and even worshipped the sun. Even though the effects of sunshine are basic to survival it can also cause severe skin damage that can affect your health.
The relationship between excess sun exposure and skin cancer has long been recognized. The majority of skin cancers occur on the sun exposed areas of the body – the face, neck, arms, and hands – and the incidence of skin cancers, world -wide , increases annually. Most skin cancers have a very high cure rate , especially if treated correctly and early, and very rarely spread to other areas of the body.
Part of the cause of skin cancer has to do with the characteristics of certain patients: light eye-colour ( blue ,green ,grey) , fair hair and fair complexion are coupled with poor tanning ability and a high incidence of skin cancer. On the other hand skin cancer is rare in people of colour because of the protection offered by a deeply pigmented skin. The potential for developing skin cancer decreases as one moves from skin type I to skin type 6.
Skin Classification:
- Type 1 Always burns, never tans
- Type 2 Always burns, slightly tans
- Type 3 Sometimes burns, always tans
- Type 4 Never burns, always tans
- Type 5 Dark skin
- Type 6 Black skin
Most of the sun damage to our skin is done in our school going years and early adulthood as these are the years that we spend most time outdoors playing sport and relaxing. It is important to protect our skin from sun damage from an early age. The effects of chronic unprotected sun exposure only manifest later on in life ( late 30’s and early 40’s) when one starts to notice sun spots on the exposed areas of the body.By this stage the damage is already done.
Freckles are collections of melanin in the skin caused by sun exposure – most are benign.
Seborrheic keratoses are crusty,brown,warty lesions that have a “stuck-on” appearance. These are benign manifestations of sun damage and commonly appear on the face,arms,trunk and legs.
Solar keratoses are flat,flaky,red to brown spots on sun exposed areas that are pre-malignant and if left untreated may develop into skin cancer.
There are 3 common forms of skin cancer that one should be aware of:
- Basal cell carcinoma or rodent ulcer. This is a pearly-pink lesion that is often crusty and if scratched or picked will fall off but recurs in a short space of time. They often bleed when drying oneself with a towel after bathing. If treated early, 98% are curable by local excision.
- Squamous cell carcinoma is a more serious form of skin cancer which can occur from excessive sun exposure. These lesions often ulcerate and have rolled edges. Treated early with local excision,most are curable.
- Malignant melanoma manifests as a darkly pigmented mole with irregular edges. If left untreated it can spread to other areas of the body and be life threatening. Early diagnosis and excision is paramount. Melanomas on the skin may be associated with episodes of severe sun burn.
Constant ,unprotected exposure to the sun damages the elastic tissue in your skin causing wrinkles and a leathery appearance. So cover up – prevention is better than cure! The earlier one starts protecting ones skin the better. Once sun damage is there the effects cannot be reversed.
Sun screens offer protection from the sun and are rated by a sun protection factor (SPF). A product with a SPF of 10 allows one to stay in the sun for 10 times longer before you start burning than one could stay without sunscreen. The higher the SPF the more protection offered. Remember though that sunscreens need to be re-applied regularly as they rub off and sweat off.
If you have a mole that changes size , shape or colour you should have this checked out by your doctor.
