Skin Cancer - a Reminder
By 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
Also see:
Skin
Cancer Advice: Melanoma Can Be Beaten, 7 Survivors Tell How They Beat
Melanoma, Even At Stage 4
How to Spot
a Malignant Mole
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