| Skin Cancer - a Reminder
by: Dr. John Roberts
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.
About The Author
John Roberts is a freelancer for foodconsumer.com - an online
magazine that promotes healthy diets.
kontact@foodconsumer.com
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