SKIN PROTECTION.
HERE COMES THE SUN THERE’S NOTHING BETTER THAN TRAINING OR COMPETING ON A SUNNY DAY, BUT AS
I
HELEN TRIGGS FINDS OUT, SKIN DAMAGE NEEDS TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY.
n Britain, hot weather tends to take us by surprise – and so far this year has been a prime example. Boiling hot in spring, followed by cooler weather (duvets back on) and summer returning when you least expect it. It’s not surprising then, that skin protection tends to be a bit haphazard. It’s important that people working predominantly outside, as well as those riding for recreation and sport, understand that it’s not just on the beach that sun protection is important. While the sun has plenty of health benefits, the action o ultra violet
rays can cause damage ranging from unsightly wrinkles through to severe burning and potential skin cancer. At least 100,000 new cases are now diagnosed each year, and the disease kills over 2,500 people each year in the UK – that's seven people every day. “When we talk about skin cancer, we’re actually talking about a number o different types,” says Professor Richard Marais, a skin cancer expert and director of the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute. “And for almost all of these types, it’s very clear that the environmental carcinogen is sunlight.”
ore s ecifically, it s the ultraviolet (UV) radiation given out by the sun that causes these cancers. This type of radiation can penetrate the skin and damage the DNA inside cells.” “UV light causes DNA damage which means certain cells in your skin distribute a pigment called melanin to other cells. This causes the skin to darken
and is what people call a tan. You only get the tan if you have the DNA damage,” says Marais. Naturally occurring biological agents in the skin absorb a proportion of UV radiation (UVR), with melanin being one of these. People with the darkest skin, for example those of African descent, have the most melanin and so are usually best protected from the sun.
BELOW: WHETHER COACHING OR RIDING ON A SUNNY DAY, BE AWARE OF THE POTENTIAL FOR SKIN DAMAGE FROM THE SUN. INSET: CHECK ANY MOLES REGULARLY AND IF YOU ARE CONCERNED,
CAMILLE PETERS
SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE.
BRITISH DRESSAGE // Issue 6 2020 // 13
