Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers found among South Africans, and caucasian South Africans have the second highest incidence of skin cancer after Australia.
During the summer holidays and festive season, most of Polokwane’s residents will spend a lot of time in the sun, whether it is at the beach or next to the pool.
The Cancer Association of South Africa (Cansa) dedicated December and January to skin cancer awareness and encourages parents to educate their children on the dangers of sunburn and skin cancer.
According to Cansa, young people should take special precautions when spending time in the sun since two blistering burns before the age of 18 years can dramatically increase the risk of getting skin cancer later in life.
Cansa provided the following infographic on skin cancer prevention on their website at www.cansa.org.za
The dangers of tanning
The organisation also warns against tanning, saying that there is no such thing as a healthy tan, even when it is sunless.
In recent years there has been a considerable increase in the use of sunless and self-tanning products such as sprays, mousses, gels, pills, nasal sprays injections called Melanotan 1 and 11.
Cansa warns against the use of products that contain Melanotan 11 and state that it has serious side effects, and may induce malignant melanoma.
Although some self-tanning products contain sunscreen, it offers minimal ultraviolet radiation protection. It does not provide protection from the ultraviolet rays of the sun and Cansa strongly discourages individuals to use any form of tanning product.
Topical sunless tanning products that contain Dihydroxyacetone (DHA), prevent the formation of Vitamin D in the skin when exposed to the sun.
Tanning myths:
- The sun is only dangerous in summer or on a hot day.
- Sunscreen will protect me completely from the harmful effects of the sun’s rays.
- One or two cases of sunburn won’t result in skin cancer.
- People with darker skins are not at risk for getting skin cancer.
- Sunbeds are a safer alternate to obtain a tan.
Apply sunscreen correctly:
- Be sure to use a sunscreen with an SPF of between 20 and 50 & 30 and 50 for fair to very fair skin
- It’s important to know the best SPF for your skin-type.
- Always apply sunscreen 20 minutes before you go outside and re-apply every two to three hours.
- In addition to current South African standards, as of April 1 2013, sunscreens bearing Cansa’s seal of approval needs to comply with the European Colipa Standards.
Wear protective clothing:
- Wear sunglasses with a UV protection rating of UV400.
- Wear protective clothing and swimsuits and thickly-woven fabric hats with wide brims – avoid caps where the neck and ears are exposed.
For more information visit Cansa’s website at www.cansa.org.za
