Features

Burning
issues
When the sun finally decides to shine, many of us
inadvertently put ourselves at risk of skin cancer.
Richard Brennan provides a guide to staying safe.

I
t’s important to check your body on cream on holiday, we could all protect our- Don’t forget, when buying sunscreen,
a regular basis and stay aware of the selves even better by using it all through the make sure you look for the sun protection
risk of skin cancer. While a nice day summer too.” A picnic in your back garden factor. Cancer Research recommend a
splayed out in the sun might seem is just as risky as an afternoon at the beach; factor of 15 or over. To protect against both
like heaven after a few weeks of hard according to Boots, 60% of sunburn hap- forms of ultra-violet radiation, it is important
graft, it’s still important to keep your health pens on “home soil.” to buy a broad spectrum sunscreen. This
in mind. Each year, almost five thousand
women die of malignant melanomas, the
most serious form of skin cancer.
You know the mantra here; sunscreen,
sunscreen, sunscreen; always protect your-
self when you go out in the sun. A poll for
Cancer Research UK has found that 36%
of 15 to 24 year olds spend more than five
hours a day in the sun - where do they get
all that time? It’s no joke though. Professor
Lesley Rhodes, a dermatologist from Can-
cer Research UK, says: “Exposure to ultra-
violet radiation from the sun is the primary
cause of skin cancer.”
Make sure you wear sunscreen if you’re
sailing or on a cruise as well. Reflection
from the water can increase the amount of
radiation that you are exposed to. Boots
Suncare Scientific Advisor, Mike Brown,
says “While it is great that we are using sun
Avoid sunbeds as their rays penetrate deep into the skin, altering your DNA.

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will block both UVA and UVB rays. You that drinking the beverage is not a cure.

Mole warning can also use the Boots star rating system,
where a five star rating is best at blocking
Australian researchers have also found that
taking aspirin over a number of years can

signs UV rays. Garnier also recommend buying

l When checking moles on
your body, look out for
these changes:
a sunscreen with photostability, which
prevents the sunscreen breaking down. Of
course, the sun’s rays will also hit you below
the waterline, so it’s important to buy a
water resistant sunscreen. It’s not just the
lower the risk of skin cancer. Remember to
check your body on a regular basis for any
changes in moles. If a mole is more than one
shade of brown, has an irregular border, var-
ies in size or is larger than seven millimetres,

l Itching or painful mole.
l Two-tone: moles that are
more than one shade.
l An irregular border: moles
should be circular.
l The pencil rubber test: any
moles larger than 7mm
could be cancerous.
l A mole oozing, bleeding or
growing a scab.
l A rough texture.
l Variation in size.
l Ifyou see any of these con-
tact your doctor immediatly.
sun we should be worried about; tanning
salons pose a considerable threat to our skin
too. A Dartmouth study six years ago found
that even one visit to a tanning salon could
more than double your risk of skin cancer.
You’ll be saving your friend from cancer if
you warn her off - as well as making sure she
doesn’t look like David Dickinson.
According to the Observer newspaper,
high pressure sunbeds can cause as much
damage in minutes to the skin as a year’s
normal exposure to the sun.
It is also important to remember to eat
a balanced diet. That means ignoring your
tastebuds’ cravings for chocolate and eating
some tomato-based products such as toma-
to soup, which contains plenty of lycopene.
This is a pigment that is thought to prevent
damage to DNA, which leads to cancer.
Senior Nutri Centre nutritionist, Alex
Shalet says: “People should not think that
tomatoes as a food or supplement can re-
place sun creams, but they are certainly a
good addition. If you can improve your skin
protection through your diet, then over time
this may have a significant effect in reducing
skin ageing and offer additional protection
from the misery of sunburn.”
Researchers at Case Western Reserve
University in America found that green tea
can help prevent skin cancer, although the
author of the study, Santosh Katiya, warns
‘
Ultraviolet
­radiation from
the sun is the
primary cause
’
of cancer
see a doctor. You should also seek medical
advice if a mole itches or bleeds, or if a scab
has formed. Don’t forget to check all over
your body, not just obvious places like the
legs and chest- and don’t miss areas where
you didn’t see any moles before. Cancerous
moles can even develop under toenails and
on the soles of feet.
Don’t feel stupid for going to your doctor
with what turns out to be a normal mole- if
you’re worried about it, get it checked.
Skin cancer has no cure but there are
many things you can do to reduce the risk
of developing it in the first place. Follow
Alpha Female’s advice and you’ll be able to
enjoy yourself and feel confident that you’re
staying safe in the sun.
More: www.cancerresearchuk.org

Six ways to combat skin cancer

1. Make sure you wear sunscreen whenever you’re out and about. Don’t
forget to buy a cream with a factor of 15 or over, and check that the
sunscreen has photostability and is water resistant.
2. Check your body on a regular basis for changes in moles. Look over
all of your body, not just obvious places like the arms and legs.
3. Protect your head with a sunhat. This also prevents you getting
sunstroke.
4. Avoid sunbeds and don’t sunbathe for long periods of time.

5. Eat tomato-based products, which contain lycopene.
6. Consider replacing your daily tipple with green tea.
Re-apply sunscreen after bathing.

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