Skin Cancer Prevention and Sun Awareness
Aim
“Working together for a Healthier Scotland”
in all cancers by 2010
Raise awareness amongst young children and their carers of the importance of safe sun practices
Targeting Primary Aged Children
• Children are particularly vulnerable to damage from over exposure to the sun
• Time spent in school &outdoors
• Greatest long-term benefits
The Sun
• Sun
Ultra-violet
Visible light
Infra-red
Harmful to skin
Allows us to see and plants to grow
Gives the feeling of warmth
High UV levels
• Between 11am and 3pm
• Between April and September in UK
• Close to the equator
• At high altitude
• On reflective surfaces: sand, snow, water
•Skin cancer
•Sunburn
Wrinkling
•Ageing Dryness
Liver spots
UV damage to the skin
UV radiation
UVA
• Penetrates deeply into the skin
• Causes cancer
• Skin ageing
UVB
• Penetrates surface of skin
• Causes cancer
• Causes sunburn
Skin cancer
Non-melanomaMalignant melanoma
Skin cancer
Malignant melanoma
Most serious form of skin cancer
Can spread to other parts of thebody if not removed at early stage
Responsible for most skin cancer deaths
Commonly caused by short high
intensity sun exposure (e.g.
summer holidays)
Malignant melanoma
Superficial spreading malignant melanoma
Skin cancer
Non-melanoma(Basal cell cancer
Squamous cell cancer)
Most common cancer
Less likely to spread to other parts
Can be disfiguring
More common after high lifelong
exposure (e.g. outdoor workers)
Skin cancer in the UK
Basal cell cancer Superficial basal cell cancer
Squamous cell cancer
Skin cancer in the UK
• There are over 75,000 new cases of skin cancer diagnosed each year in the UK
•Many cases are not reported so the real number of cases is probably much higher
•The number of cases has almost tripled since the early 80s
•Over 2,300 people die from skin cancer each year in the UK (Cancer research uk)
Why is skin cancer increasing?
•More leisure time
•More foreign holidays
•Fashion for a tan
BUT a third of Scots with skin cancer have never been abroad
Skin Type
Type Skin, hair and eye colour History of Sun burning or Tanning
I White skin and freckles Red or fair hair Blue or green eyes
Always burns easily, never tans
II White skin, Light hair, Blue or brown eyes
Burns easily, tans minimally
III Tends to have white skin, Brown hair Brown eyes
Burns moderately, tans gradually to light brown
IV Dark skin Dark brown eyes Dark brown hair.
Burns minimally, always tans well to moderately brown
V Dark skin Dark brown eyes Dark brown hair
Rarely burns, tans profusely to dark brown
VI Dark skin Dark hair Dark brown eyes.
Never burns, deeply pigmented
High risk groups
•Red or blonde hair
•Fair or freckly skin
•Skin that does not tan easily
•History of sunburn
•Family history of skin cancer
•Lots of moles
•Have already had skin cancer
•Transplant patients
•Babies and children
Signs of skin cancer
Watch out for moles that
•change shape or colour
•increase in size
May sometimes be
• itchy or painful
• inflamed
• bleed
•Be aware of patches of skin that do not heal
If in doubt consult your doctor
Sunburn
• What is Sunburn
•Literally a burn on your skin
•The long-term consequences of years of overexposure to the sun are significant.
•One blistering sunburn in childhood doubles the likelihood of developing Malignant melanoma
•Everyone is at risk
•Doesn't just happen in hot weather
Sun Beds
•Not in wide spread use before the 1990’s-full effects not known
•Give out UV rays main cause of skin cancer
•If you don’t tan in the sun you will not tan any more easily on a sun bed
•Users believe skin damage is avoided provided their skin does not burn- Not true
•Using a sunbed is no safer than sunbathing outdoors
Protecting our children and ourselves
•Avoid burning
•Stay in the shade between 11am and 3pm
•Cover up - wear tight weave loose fitting clothes
•Wear a hat that covers the ears and neck
•Wear sunglasses that meet British UV standards
•Keep babies under 12 months out of direct sunlight.
•Use a sunscreen with minimum SPF of 15 on exposed skin
•Provide plenty of drinks to avoid dehydration
Protecting our children and ourselves
SPF (Sun protection factors)
•In theory SPF measures how many times longer it takes for skin to redden using sunscreen compared to unprotected skin
•Use a minimum of SPF 15
•Higher factors give only a small increase in protection
•Reapply frequently
•SPF measures protection from UVB
•You also need protection from UVA
•A star rating indicates how effective the sunscreen blocks UVA
•Four stars indicates the highest protection
UVA protection
REMEMBER
•Sunscreen is rarely applied at the recommended rate so protection is reduced
•DO NOT allow the use of sunscreen to increase your time in the sun
•BEWARE damage may occur before skin reddens
•BEWARE burning causes damage with or without sunscreen
SUN AVOIDANCE IS MORE IMPORTANT
Sunscreen sense
Increased risk of getting skin cancer as an adult
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