What is Skin Cancer?
Skin cancer occurs when damage to the skin’s DNA causes a mutation in the skin cells, which in turn causes them to multiply and grow rapidly. These growths form tumours, often appearing as a lump, bump, or open sore that does not heal on the skin. If left untreated, these growths can also spread to other areas of the body.
What Causes Skin Cancer?
There are two primary causes of skin cancer: harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun and UV light used in tanning salon sunbeds.
Anyone can get skin cancer, and everyone should take precautions against it. However, certain factors can increase one’s chances of developing it, including age, having pale skin, a family history of skin cancer, or having had skin cancer before.
How Can You Protect Yourself Against Skin Cancer?
While it’s not possible or recommended to avoid sunlight altogether, there are things you can do to control your exposure to the UV rays that cause skin cancer.
Limit Your Exposure to the Sun
The first thing you can do to protect yourself against skin cancer is to limit your time in the sun, especially when it’s at its most intense. In the UK, between 11am and 3pm, between March and October.
Avoid being in direct sunlight during this period, staying in the shade on sunny days. It’s also important not to burn and to cover up or go inside if you feel yourself burning.
Finally, you can wear clothing to protect yourself and limit exposure to the sun, including sunglasses and long-sleeved tops, if you’re at risk of burning.
Wear Sunscreen
If you are out in the sun, you should wear sunscreen. It’s the best way to protect your skin when exposed to sunlight.
However, you should never rely solely on sunscreen to protect you, and you should still limit your exposure to the sun, even when wearing sunscreen.
Similarly, you should still wear sunscreen, even if you follow the advice on limiting your exposure to the sun, as it’s easy to underestimate how much sun you will catch, even when taking precautions.
You should also not spend any longer in the sun than you usually would if you were not wearing sunscreen.
What Should You Look for When Buying Sunscreen?
There are two key factors you should look for when purchasing sunscreen. A suitable sunscreen should have the following:
- An SPF rating of at least 30 to protect against UVB rays
- A star rating of at least 4 to protect against UVA rays.
UVA rating may also be indicated by the letters UVA in a circle, which shows it meets EU standards.
Finally, you should always ensure that sunscreen is in date, as it loses effectiveness after it has passed its best-before date.
Image created by the author
Swimming With Sunscreen
Sunscreen washes off in water, and the water can focus on the sun’s rays, increasing your exposure to UV rays. The cooling effect of the water often makes it difficult for you to notice when you burn when you are in the water.
If you’re going to swim, you should use a water-resistant sunscreen and reapply sunscreen after you get out of the water.
If you are swimming in sea that contains coral reefs, you might also want to check to see if your sunscreen is ‘reef-friendly’. Some chemicals used in sunscreens can harm coral and the delicate coral reef ecosystem.
Is it Safe to Use UV Sunbeds?
The short answer is no.
In fact, the UV rays found in sunbeds and tanning lamps can be more dangerous than those in sunlight, as they use a concentrated source of UV rays. Additionally, as well as skin cancer, there are other health risks associated with UV sunbeds, such as eye irritation and prematurely ageing skin.
When Should You See a Doctor?
While following these precautions will help reduce your chances of getting skin cancer, you should always be aware of any new lumps or lesions that might be signs of skin cancer and have them checked out immediately. If you spot anything new or unusual, book an appointment with your GP or speak to an online GP.