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 bottom line is that over exposure to sunlight for an extended period of time will lead to some form of skin cancer. The degree or quantity of over exposure that a person may need before they show signs of skin cancer depends on their skin type.
People that burn easily in the sun are more at risk to getting skin cancer. This is intuitive as burned skin is painful and pain is the body's warning sign that something is wrong. However people will often ignore signs like this out of vanity or stubbornness. Or maybe they work in environments that are harsh.
People that burn easily are people that have less melanin. Melanin is the substance found in the skin, hair and eyes and is responsible for producing pigmentation or color. People with less melanin will have fairer skin, red or blond hair and lighter colored irises. The most pronounced case of deficiency of melanin is known as Albinism. Albinos have little or no color in their skin, hair and eyes.
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.
In summary, you should protect yourself against ultra violet radiation. This may get to you in many ways, but the most common is exposure to sunlight. If you are in such a position, be it business or pleasure, you should protect your skin using clothing, eye protection and sunscreen.
Get more details on the signs and symptoms of skin cancer and the types of skin cancer then visit symptomsofskincancer.net