RESPONSIBILITY

DEEP Skin

Prevention guidelines

• Spend more time in the shade during the peak sunlight hours of 10h00 to 16h00. • Cover up as much as possible. • Try to actively prevent sunburn by wearing sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 15 or higher. • Don’t use UV tanning beds. • Wear sunglasses and a broad brimmed hat.

CANCER IS A NASTY BEAST. IN SPITE OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THROWN INTO MEDICAL RESEARCH OVER DECADES, CANCER KILLS THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ANNUALLY. AND ONE IN THREE CANCERS ARE SKIN CANCER. FIONA MCDONALD REPORTS.

The bad news for South Africans is that with the abundance of sunshine we enjoy, our country ranks second only to Australia for the incidence of skin cancer in the world. Every year 20 000 cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in SA – and 700 people die from it, according to the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA). Even more terrifying is that skin cancer manifests years and years after the initial damage has been done – and that damage generally occurs by the time you’re 18!

It’s scary to think about all those holiday sunburns while at the beach, sailing on the dam or just playing around the pool still doling out pain and suffering years after the skin has stopped peeling and the red burn gave way to a golden tan.

The World Health Organisation records annual figures of 132 000 malignant melanomas worldwide while between two and three million non-melanoma skin cancers are diagnosed every year.

The three most common kinds of skin cancers are the malignant melanoma – a particularly horrible cancer which is difficult to treat, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma – both of which are very common but also very treatable. But – here’s the thing and it’s good news – skin cancer is eminently preventable, so long as you take early precautions and respect the sun.

What does all the damage is ultraviolet (UV) radiation – specifically UVA and UVB which are both part of the light spectrum. While the human eye can distinguish the colours of the spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet) when in a rainbow, ultraviolet rays are invisible to the naked eye, they damage not only the skin but can also cause harm to your eyes. UVB are shorter rays and they’re the light that causes our skins to tan or go brown. But they can also cause a hot burning sensation – sunburn – and damage the skin.

UVA rays are longer and penetrate deeper than just the surface layer and harm the structure of skin cells, causing not just premature ageing but also the risk of skin cancer. Researchers accept that most malignant melanoma are caused by UVA exposure with the American Cancer Association stating that 86% of all melanomas are directly attributable to this.

The dangers of sun exposure have been known for centuries. Greeks used olive oil to protect their skins while ancient Egyptians used plant extracts – some of which are used in certain cosmetic products to this day.

Wikipedia reports that early synthetic sunscreens were in use as far back as 1928 with the first major commercial product from L’Oreal in 1936. As with so many products, it was a military application that saw it adopted more widely. The US troops fighting in the Pacific during World War II were literally being fried by the sun while in the theatre of battle. An airman (and later chemist), Benjamin Green produced a goopy petroleum jelly-like substance called Red Vet Pet that physically blocked UV rays. This was the precursor to a product which became famous the world over in the 1950’s after it had been refined and then commercialised – Coppertone. (Everyone can remember that cute little Coppertone kid having her bikini bottom tugged on by a black Cocker Spaniel, right?)

While products such as Coppertone and Piz Buin worked, it was really in the 1970’s that Sun Protection Factor became a universal measurement of the efficacy of sunscreen. It was developed by a Swiss chemist, Franz Greiter. WHAT IS SUN PROTECTION FACTOR AND HOW DOES IT WORK? Simply put, the Sun Protection Factor – or SPF – is a measurement of the protection granted to your skin from burning by UVB rays. Simply put, if you are someone who turns red after 10 minutes in the sun, and you wear a sun product with an SPF of 15 then the cream provides protection 15 times longer than your skin could – so 15 times 10 minutes, or 150 minutes or two-and-half hours. The higher the SPF factor, the more protection offered. It is, however, important to constantly reapply sunscreen, particularly if you are swimming or participating in an activity in which you sweat – such as playing tennis or cricket.

Labelling restrictions have been put in place to counter consumer confusion over the duration of protection offered. So in the European Union it’s impossible to get any sunscreens with a SPF higher than 50. This was done, Wikipedia states, to manage people’s expectation as well as unrealistic claims by manufacturers.

The iconic Coppertone kid advert which made its first appearance in print in the 50’s.