The Sun’s effect on our skin
The Sun is the sustainer of life on Earth but long exposure to the effects of the Sun’s Ultra Violet rays without adequate protection could spell trouble to our skin and cause one of the many skin cancers that strike people around the world.
We need to protect ourselves at all times from the devastating effects of the Sun, and to do so it would be imperative that we use either sunscreens in the form of protective creams or abstain from being exposed, if we could.
It is also imperative to realize that sunscreens and various creams could only protect you to a certain degree and if we are not careful and are oblivious to the harsh realities of the Sun, we could be struck down with any one of the skin cancers that are affecting individuals around the world.
Keeping away from the Sun would be the best protection that we could practice if it is possible, but if that would not be, every precaution should be taken, because some types of skin could be quickly affected.
Whoever the individual would be, even those healthy externally and have no complications it is always prudent to have regular skin cancer checks to ensure any such condition is detected early.
Contracting skin cancers
There are various types of skin cancers that could affect us and of them, the most common is Melanoma, which is a very dangerous and death causing cancer formed in the melanocytes or cells of the skin.
This form of skin cancer affects the melanocytes which forms a brown pigment referred to as melanin, which is cancerous and could rapidly spread all over the body, even to parts not generally exposed to the effects of the Sun.
In the United States over the last five years, there has been an average of 85,000 cases of Melanoma being reported annually and those with Caucasian skins are more vulnerable to contact the disease.
This does not in any way mean that dark skinned individuals are safe from the effects of the Sun, they are vulnerable too if prolonged exposure to the Sun is not prevented by adequate protection.
Though Melanoma is a cancer it is known to be a reactive and protective response from our skin, to ensure that the inner cells in our skin are not affected which unfortunately turns out to be a cancerous condition.
The fear of Melanoma is that it accounts for about 2 % of all types of skin cancers and is the most dangerous as it is responsible for the most number of deaths.
Protection from exposure to the Sun
The most prudent would be to ensure that you keep away from being exposed for long periods to the dangerous effects of the Sun but this may not be the only case affecting some.
There is a hereditary factor also involved in the formation of skin cancers especially Melanoma which is a very complex disease which needs the best medical attention to rectify the problem which could be done if diagnosed early.
Those with a parent or one or more siblings with any form of skin cancer could also be vulnerable to the disease hence regular skin cancer checks would put to rest any such fear.
We could protect ourselves by ensuring adequate protection, like wearing a hat, refraining from exposing to the harsh realities of the Sun on tanning beds during the high mid day, and keeping our clothes on as much as possible.
Those who are always working outdoors would need to be extra vigilant and if any noticeable black spots do occur on their skins it would be prudent to immediately undergo skin cancer checks.
Regular skin cancer checks would determine the cause of the prevailing condition and it would always be prudent to be wise to the fact that once it spreads treatments could be quite prolonged unlike them being treated at the initial stages.
Those who have had frequent sunburns when young are also high risk when they grow older, because their skins could be already damaged and contracting any form of skin cancer is possible.
Such individuals would need to ensure that they do not expose themselves for long periods out in the Sun and if they do have to for some reason or other is well protected during that specific times.
Age is also another major factor which could affect individuals, especially those who are 55 years and over whose skins too begin aging and they become vulnerable.
This does not mean the young are safe there are many research to show that even those who are in the age group of 25 years to 30 years are at high risk as they are habitually exposed to the Sun on various instances.
Hence those in both these age groups would need to ensure protection from the Sun, but if they are compelled to be in the outdoors due to their lifestyle then they would need to take optimum care to adequately protect themselves.
Our bodies have an inherent immune system which would generally protect us from various diseases, illnesses, viruses etc and it would be necessary that we keep in mind to ensure such systems perform to perfection, regularly having ourselves checked.
If our systems especially immune systems do not function at optimum we could be vulnerable to Melanoma and other types of skin cancers, hence those undergoing any form of immune suppression therapy recuperating after organ transplants could be at risk.
Hence those who are exposed to the Sun most of the day especially sportsmen and women would need to have
skin cancer checks conducted regularly to ensure they are free from Melanoma and other skin cancers.
Those who develop moles would need to have them checked out for any cancerous symptoms because though some of them would not be dangerous some could be, hence “prevention is better than cure” should be the best initiative under the context.