Skin cancer is a disease that receives more headlines and article column inches than ever before. Is this an indication that the disease is on the rise because people are more at risk to the causes of skin cancer. Or simply that the public information campaigns have made people more alert to spotting warning signs and getting them checked out by their doctors. The answer is probably a bit of both. So what causes skin cancer ? This article will answer this question and detail who is most at risk on getting the disease.
Probably, the most commonly cited skin cancer cause is being exposed to sunlight for extended periods of time. Do you remember when people used to boast about the great suntan they got during their vacation ?
Well this thinking has largely fallen away now (or at least it should be falling away). You will find in regions in the world where the sun is particularly strong the idea of sun baking yourself every day has been replaced with the need to wear a shirt, hat, eye protection and a 30+ sun protection factor sunscreen.
The fact is that, although everyone wants to spend a bit of time in the sun once in a while, too much sun on the skin will lead to skin cancer. How much sun is too much is largely down to the individuals skin type.
People that find their skin burning quickly in the sun are at greater risk of skin cancer. Burning could be the skin turning red or even peeling but ultimately the person will feel pain on the burned portions of the skin. And pain is the body telling you that something is wrong. People often ignore the pain because they are having a good time or their work requires them to work in sunny conditions.
A person that burns quicker generally has less melanin in the body. Melanin is a substance that produces color or pigmentation in the skin, eyes and hair. So people with less melanin will be characterized by fair hair - blond or red, light colored eyes - blue or green and pale skin. People with no melanin at all have a condition knowns as Albinism. An Albino will have no color in the hair, eyes and skin.
The way that melanin protects the skin is by darkening it whenever it comes in contact with sunlight. this is commonly known as a suntan and is the body's way of preventing sunburn and thus skin cancer. However, it is an extremely fine line between getting a suntan and going to far and getting sun damaged skin.
Using equipment that leads to exposure to UV radiation is another way to increase the risk of skin cancer. The sunbed is a prime example of this. Many sunbeds are used to get that healthy tan all year round but too much of the sunbed is bad news for your skin.
To end, you must protect yourself against Ultraviolet radiation. This is the leading cause of skin cancer and most people are exposed to it from the sun. Whenever you are in the sun, wear clothes to protect your body.Wear and hat and sunglasses for your head and eyes. And rub sunscreen into areas of the body that are directly exposed to sunlight.
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Sunscreens May Actually Cause Skin Cancer
Sunscreens are suppose to protect your skin from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays. However, the very ingredients that offer sun protection have been found to have adverse health effects. It has been found that, worldwide, the greatest rise in melanoma has been experienced in countries where chemical sunscreens are heavily promoted. Studies of individuals who regularly use sunscreen have shown a higher rate of melanoma in men and a higher rate of basal cell carcinoma in women.
In 1978 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the formation of sunscreen standards, but over 30 years later, still have not finalized them. As a result, sunscreen manufacturers have been allowed to continue selling products that don't protect adequately, have harmful or untested ingredients, make unsubstantiated claims, and are not required to list all ingredients on their labels. Some also use unapproved sunscreen chemicals in their products and list them as inactive ingredients.
UVA radiation penetrates deep into the skin. UVB radiation is stronger and affects the outer layer of the skin causing sunburn. Both cause premature aging and skin cancer.
The FDA considers both UVA and UVB radiation protection equally important, but their proposed regulations would not require that sunscreens protect individuals from UVA radiation. Instead they propose to allow these sunscreens on the market, only requiring the product to bear a "No UVA Protection" warning on the label.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) investigated 868 name brand sunscreens and found serious deficiencies in the safety and effectiveness of sunscreens sold in the United States. Of the 868 sunscreen products tested, the EWG found that:
•83% provide inadequate protection from the sun or contain ingredients with significant safety concerns.
•52% bear claims that are unacceptable or misleading.
•53% contain ingredients that may be unstable. They lose effectiveness in filtering out UV radiation or form potentially toxic degradation by-products.
•Many sunscreens fail to provide adequate UVA protection.
•Some sunscreens contain ingredients that act as anti-inflammatory agents that artificially boost SPF (sun protection factor) ratings.
There are 17 sunscreen chemicals approved for use in the United States, but the majority of them may actually increase cancers. Chemical sunscreens are free radical generators which increase cellular damage that lead to cancer, have estrogen-like effects, and are synthetic chemicals that are alien to the human body. (Remember, in just 26 seconds after any exposure to chemicals on your skin or in your lungs, traces of these chemicals can be found in every organ of your body.) Some of these sunscreen chemicals are:
•Benzophenone (oxybenzone) - present in most sunscreens; easily absorbed through the skin; causes irritations and allergies; and is a hormone disrupter. Also used in many other personal care products.
•Padimate-O - found to cause DNA damage which can lead to cancer.
•Avobenzone - easily absorbed through the skin; degrades and becomes ineffective within one hour.
•Diethanolamine (DEA) - may lead to cancer causing compounds if the sunscreen contains nitrites; is often not disclosed on sunscreen labels.
Most sunscreens also contain parabens (hormone disrupters) and synthetic fragrances (can cause allergies and asthma).
Extra precaution should be taken when applying sunscreens on children as they are less able to detoxify and excrete chemicals. Also, children's developing organs are more vulnerable to damage from chemical exposures and more sensitive to low levels of hormonally active compounds.
Since the FDA keeps delaying the finalization of its safety standards for sunscreens, and since sunscreen manufacturers are still allowed to manufacture substandard sunscreen products that consumers can't trust, finding a safe sunscreen product is not an easy task. But, there are companies who do care about the health of consumers, and who produce quality natural broad spectrum sunscreen (protects against both UVA and UVB radiation) products that are approved as safe by the Environmental Working Group. Natural sunscreens will contain zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide. Please visit http://www.edennaturalproductsresource.com, a resource for consumers of companies who produce truly natural health and personal care products.
REFERENCES AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Sunscreen or Sunscam?, Environmental Working Group
Comments from EWG on the U.S. FDA's Proposed Amendment of Final Monograph for Sunscreens, Environmental Working Group
FDA dodges new sunscreen regulations again, The San Diego Union-Tribune, August 5, 2008
CDC: Americans Carry Body Burden of Toxic Sunscreen Chemical, Environmental Working Group
Concentrations of the Sunscreen Agent Benzophenone-3 in Residents of the United States: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003–2004, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Chemical Sunscreen Health Disaster, Skinbiology.com
Both Adrian Fletcher & Cambry Center Lap 8 are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.