WITH this month being skin cancer awareness month (SunSmart) and February 4 being World Cancer Day, ER24 encourages people to avoid excessive exposure to sunlight. ER24 also encourages the public to examine their skin regularly.
Exposing your skin to the sun’s rays for long periods of time increases the risk of developing skin cancer.
Dr Nirasha Chiranjan, a radiation oncologist at De Muelenaere Oncology, said excessive sunlight can damage the skin’s cellular DNA and this damage can lead to skin cancer. She recommends people examine their skin once a month and have a doctor examine it every six months.
“There are three major types of skin cancer: Basal Cell Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Melanoma,” said Dr Chiranjan.
Dr Robbie De Muelenaere, also a radiation oncologist, said although melanoma is not as common as other skin cancers, it is responsible for more than 80 per cent of skin cancer deaths. Melanoma can resemble a mole and can develop from a mole or on normal-appearing skin. It can spread to other parts of the body.
“Melanomas usually look black because of the melanin inside. But you get what we call an amelanotic melanoma. So you can have a blemish on your skin that changes,” said Dr Muelenaere.
People should keep in mind that sunlight is also the main source of vitamin D.
“When we test cancer patients for vitamin D, invariably their vitamin D levels are very low. If you stay in the sun for 20 minutes in summer and 30 minutes in winter per day, this is more than adequate to form enough vitamin D,” added Dr Muelenaere.
Children should also be made aware of the dangers posed by excessive sun exposure.
Caradee Wright, the founder of the SunSmart research programme and lab in South Africa, said a research project conducted among 700 children in South Africa revealed that children had some understanding of what the sun is about but were not protecting themselves adequately.
“We found that the majority of schools surveyed did not have a sun protection policy. We are a long way behind, but I think they are trying to help children better protect themselves from the sun,” said Wright.
Babies less than six months old should be kept out of direct sunlight and protected with appropriate clothing.
