How to prevent skin cancer

SKIN CANCER PREVENTION
For the nonmelanoma skin cancers, the most logical approach to prevention is to limit exposure of the skin to natural and artificial sources of UV radiation. This can be achieved in numerous ways, including the use of sunscreens, the avoidance of outdoor activities during the noon hours when the amount of UV radiation in sunlight is maximal, and the use of protective clothing. Reducing the lifetime dose of UV radiation reduces the risk of skin cancer development. Because the effects of UV radiation in causing nonmelanoma skin cancers are cumulative, we would expect that reducing sunlight exposure at any age would retard the rate of tumor development.
For melanoma and perhaps even for some basal cell carcinomas, it is not clear whether this strategy would be effective because there is not a simple, direct relationship between dose of UV radiation and melanoma induction. For example, if melanoma results from childhood exposure to UV radiation, as has been suggested, reducing sunlight exposure during adult life may not be beneficial in attempting to decrease the incidence of melanoma. Obviously, more information on the dose response, wavelength dependence, and mechanism of action of UV radiation in the induction of melanomas is needed to devise effective strategies for preventing even the melanomas that are sunlight-related.

Dangers of Tanning

Sunlight effects upon the skin

Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) comprises only about 5% of sunlight, with visible light and infrared radiation making up the remaining 95%. However, it is UVR which is chiefly responsible for the harmful effects of sunlight exposure. On a sunny day, UVA (315-400 nm) accounts for at least 95% of UVR, and UVB (280-315 nm) no more than 5%. UVR has acute and chronic effects on the skin.
Acute effects
Erythema (sunburn)
Sunburn or erythema can vary in intensity from mild redness to oedema, blistering and peeling. Susceptibility to sunburn and tanning depends on the skin phototype of the individual. UVB is much more effective at inducing erythema than UVA. UVB accounts for only about 5% of solar radiation but it contributes to about 80% of the erythema caused by sunlight. Experiments suggest that the synthesis and release of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), following cyclooxygenase-2 (cox-2) gene activation, and nitric oxide within the dermis are responsible for UV-induced erythema.
Melanogenesis (tanning)
Skin colour is genetically controlled but can be enhanced by UVR exposure. Each skin phototype has a different ability to tan. Tanning and epidermal hyperplasia following UVR exposure protects against erythema and burning, but maintaining this requires repeated exposures, which can result in the chronic effects of photodamage.
Skin phototypes
Skin phototype Response to UVR exposure
I White skin, always burns, never tans (Celtic)
II White skin, burns initially, tans with difficulty
III White skin, rarely burns, tans easily
IV White skin, never burns always tans (Mediterranean)
V Brown skin (Asian)
VI Black skin
Immunosuppression
Both UVA and UVB exposure suppress cutaneous cell-mediated immunity in humans. This effect is significantly higher in skin types I/II than in types III/IV. UVR-induced immunosuppression is thought to play an important role in the emergence of skin cancer, which explains the increased risk of skin cancer in individuals with skin types I/II who have a history of repetitive and intense UVR exposure.
Chronic effects
Photoageing
Photoageing results in dry, deeply wrinkled, inelastic, leathery skin with telangiectasia, mottled pigmentation, freckling and lentigines. Repeated long-term UVR exposure, especially UVB, results in changes within the dermal connective tissue. There is elastosis and degradation and disorganization of collagen fibrils. It is thought that UVR-induced metalloproteinases (endopeptidases that degrade structural proteins) degrade the dermal matrix, which then undergoes imperfect repair.
Photocarcinogenesis
Skin cancer is the long-term result of a complex interaction between UVR exposure and genetics. Genetic factors include skin phototype, DNA repair capacity and immunocompetence. DNA damage occurs following UVR, and this is repaired by nucleotide excision repair. Repeated UV exposure together with suboptimal repair results in the clonal expansion of cells with mutated oncogenes leading to melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. Studies have shown that squamous cell carcinomas develop as the consequence of accumulated sun exposure, whereas melanoma and basal cell carcinomas are more dependent on specific patterns of childhood and intermittent high-dose sun exposure. Other important risk factors for the development of skin cancer include UVR-induced immunosuppression as well as immunosuppressant drugs as seen in organ transplant patients.
Photodermatoses
Photodermatoses (diseases caused by sunlight) can be divided into two main categories, those in which the sunlight has a primary role in the condition (primary photosensitivity) and those in which the sunlight acts as an exacerbating factor (secondary photosensitivity).

Tanning and skin cancer facts

There is a popular belief that suntanned skin is healthy and attractive. Many people spend more time in the sun than is good for their skin trying to achieve a fashionable tan.
A considerable percentage of the white skinned population admits to tanning at least once a year either in the sun or in tanning beds.
In a magazine survey, two thirds of teens said they "look better with a tan and feel healthier, more sophisticated," and half said they looked "more athletic".
Tanned skin is thought to be associated with swimming pools, backyard barbecues, dinner parties, and exotic vacations. In this context, tanned skin took on a feature of attractiveness as a signal of being well-traveled, cultured, and supposed evidence of leisure wealth. It also became a signal of health and strength as the bodybuilding and fitness industries increasingly promoted tanning to highlight muscle tone and definition.
Suntan is caused by an increased release of the pigment melanin into the skin's cells after exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
There is convincing evidence from many studies that frequent exposure to any form of UV radiation (solar or artificial) increases the risk for the development of skin cancer.
Preventive measures include avoiding sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m, wearing a hat and anti-UV sunglasses which can provide almost 100% protection against ultraviolet radiation entering the eyes and applying a sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays.

The tanning process

What is tanning

Effects of tanning

About tanning

A tanning bed or sunbed is a structure lined with sunlamps in which one stands or reclines in order to acquire a suntan. Also called sunbed. It is a device emitting ultraviolet radiation (typically 95% UVA and 5% UVB, +/-3%) used to produce a cosmetic tan. Regular tanning beds use several fluorescent lamps that have phosphor blends designed to emit UV in a spectrum that is somewhat similar to the sun. Smaller home tanning beds usually have 12 to 28 100 watt lamps while systems found in salons can run from 24 to 60 lamps each consuming 100 to 200 watts.

There are also "high pressure" tanning beds that generate primarily UVA with some UVB by using highly specialized quartz lamps, reflector systems and filters. These are less common and much more expensive, thus less commonly used. A tanning booth is quite similar to a tanning bed, but the individual stands while tanning and the typical power output of booths is higher.

Because of several alleged adverse effects on human health, the World Health Organization does not recommend the use of UV tanning devices for cosmetic reasons . For example, using a sunbed without goggles may lead to a condition known as arc eye.

Tanning beds are used for somewhat different reasons in the US than in Europe. In the US, tanning is more seasonal, where most users begin in January and stop or slow down by June. It is most often used as a way to jump start the tanning process, so that once the summer begins, they can go to the beach or enjoy other outdoor activities and already have a significant base tan built up. This is also why tanning lotions and bronzers are more commonly used in the US.

Europeans may enjoy tanning seasonally, but less so than Americans. This is due to many areas in Europe having significantly fewer days of sunshine than the USA, so Europeans are more likely to use a tanning bed all year long, for both the cosmetic and mood altering benefits. European tanning beds generally use a different type of lamp as well, with UVB ratings in the 1% to 3% range (using US measuring methods) whereas most tanning beds sold in the US use 4.2% to 6.5% UVB ratings, and aftermarket lamps with up to 8.5% or higher being popular. Of course, these lamps have less UVA and will produce a sunburn quicker, but many Americans seem to like them because a short session produces a "reddening", or instant gratification. These lamps actually produce a slower deep tan (but a faster base tan) that fades faster, but are simply marketed as "hotter", although technically they have about the same amount of UV but with different ratios of UVA and UVB.

While the primary reason for both Americans and Europeans to use a tanning bed is cosmetic, there are many other reasons why they are used. It is common for people to tan simply because it makes them feel good. Also, most tanning beds generate a large amount of heat, including infrared, which has deep penetrating action that can relieve minor muscle aches.

The tan produced by a tanning bed is not as deep as a tan produced in the sun. This is due to the fact that tanning beds have higher overall levels of UV than the sun on a typical day, so the exposure times are shorter than the average session spent in the sun to achieve the same amount of tan. This can cause someone with a dark indoor tan to go outside and get a bad sunburn quickly because the deeper levels of their skin have not been exposed previously, and have no natural protection above what white skin would have. It is strongly recommended that a person does NOT tan indoor and outdoors on the same day, due to the likely chance that they will get overexposed. Because overexposure actually destroys melanin, getting a sunburn will result in LESS tanning. The popular wisdom that you "need to burn to tan" or that a sunburn will turn into a tan is simply wrong, and greatly increases your chances for skin cancer later in life.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Skin Cancer -- The Dangers of a Deadly Tan (and Solariums)

Tanning Risk

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is the most prominent and universal cancer-causing agent in our environment. The US Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Toxicology Program Report on Carcinogens (cancer-causing agents) states that UV solar radiation, and use of sun lamps and sun beds are "known to be a human carcinogen." . Some scientists have suggested recently that there may be an association between UVA radiation (the type of radiation that makes up most of the radiation in tanning beds) and malignant melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer. There is persuasive evidence that each of the three main types of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and melanoma, is caused by sun exposure. Women who visited a tanning parlor at least once a month were 55% more likely to later develop melanoma than women who didn't artificially suntan. Those who used sun lamps to tan while in their 20s had the greatest later risk, about 150% higher than similarly aged women who shunned tanning beds.

Exposure to ultraviolet radiation induces two of the most common DNA mutations known in cellular biology. Those include cyclobutane–pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and 6–4 photo products (6–4PPs) and their Dewar valence isomers. Cells have developed a number of repair mechanisms to counteract the DNA damage caused by ultraviolet radiation and other toxins. In human cells, a repair process is initiated after DNA damage is detected in which the damaged DNA is removed before it is replicated. As humans age, their cellular repair mechanisms make more errors because they have accumulated years of oxidative stress from daily life. Over time, it is more difficult for the cell to find and destroy aberrant DNA. The replication of damaged DNA leads to cancer, and exposure to UV radiation sets a process in motion that can take decades to ultimately cause skin cancer Similarly, most people who smoke cigarettes do not get lung cancer until decades of use have passed. Most critically, if a mutation occurs within a gene that regulates cell division, the cell becomes prone to malignancy. For example, squamous cell carcinoma (a type of skin cancer) is caused by a UVB induced mutation in the p53 gene.

Exposure to UV radiation has a detrimental effect on the immune system. Exposure causes changes in antigen presentation by Langerhans cells and macrophages. Also, the activities of natural killer cells and T cells is reduced. Last, cytokine regulation is disrupted by UV exposure. Ultraviolet radiation exposure may facilitate the growth of skin neoplasms and the spreading of skin-associated infections due to stimulation of suppressor T cells.

While the dangers of UVB are widely recognized the dangers of UVA are less understood. UVA is less likely to burn the skin, and it has been called the "bronzing light." However, it is clearly associated with inducing aging changes in the skin and in promoting the development of skin cancer. This is because UVA penetrates the skin more deeply than UVB, and therefore causes damage on a deeper level. Most aging of skin is due to UVA rays destroying collagen and connective tissue beneath the superficial layer of the skin. UVB rays do not reach as far below the skin. Excessive exposure to UVA radiation will cause premature aging, including wrinkles, sunspots, and loss of skin elasticity.

One study conducted amongst a college student population found that awareness of the risks of tanning beds did not deter the students from using them.

Although rare, it is possible for tanning beds to be a vector for infections of pubic lice, also known as crabs. If the surface of the bed is not properly cleaned or if towels provided by the salon are not washed in hot water, crab lice can survive for several days on these surfaces. Crab lice are difficult to see on the acrylic of a dimly lit tanning bed, and they are not killed by anti-bacterial or anti-viral cleaning agents used in salons. They can only be killed by physical removal or by the use of insecticides such as pyrethrin.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Clare Oliver

Clare Oliver (25 August 1981 – 13 September 2007) was an Australian woman whose own health crisis prompted her to become an activist, garnering wide media coverage, seeking to ban the use of solariums. Clare's melanoma was first discovered as part of a health check up shortly after she had been employed by SBS television upon completion of a media degree.

She gained publicity on 22 August 2007 by announcing in an open letter that she only had days to live due to melanoma and stating her goal was to reach her 26th birthday. She did, and celebrated at Luna Park in St Kilda, Victoria. Less than three weeks later, she died 8am EST, on 13 September at the Caritas Christi Hospice in Kew.

Clare campaigned in her last days against the lack of regulations governing solariums, however, whilst she believed it a major factor in her illness, she had spent time sun baking at St Kilda in her earlier years, where she grew up.

The Australian government has since made previously voluntary code practices mandatory in the use of tanning beds in Australia.The Victorian government also announced it would enact legislation to tighten the control of solariums by the end of 2007.

Clare is survived by her mother, Priscilla Lau Oliver.

Legacy

Clare Oliver's Legacy is her vehement disapproval of Solarium's use in communities. In her life she campaigned for their complete ban and her legacy pertains the the dangers of sun tanning in general and how destructive skin cancers can be to anyone's life.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Clare Oliver

Clare Oliver