On a gentle Michigan June morning I met a young family of four from Israel. We were planning a walk around the neighborhood. So, the mother covered her two adorable fair kindergarteners head-to-toe and warned them to stay in shade at all times.
On my surprise to such excessive caution, It was explained to me that the young woman had skin tumor removed several years ago. Luckily it was not malignant!
Since then they bought a personal radiometer and have been checking solar activity every day:
Since then they bought a personal radiometer and have been checking solar activity every day:
- ‘Many people in Israel - do.’
…At the side of our health club’s outdoor pool I saw another mother with her long-legged teenage daughter. Both had naturally dark flawless complexion. As soon as the girl was out of the water, mom abundantly smeared sunscreen over her daughter's shoulders.
These two women were apparently well-informed of the current recommendations by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery:
- Avoid peak sun hours. The rays are strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., so staying indoors during these times is the best protection.
- Wear the right sunscreen every day. Use products labeled for broad-spectrum protection -- to help block ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays -- and with a minimum sun protection factor (SPF) of 30. Slather on sunscreen about 20 minutes before going in the sun, using about an ounce (the size of a shot glass) to cover your entire body. Reapply every two to three hours spent outdoors. Also, use lip balm with an SPF rating.
- Wear the right clothing. A typical cotton T-shirt offers protection equivalent to only SPF 6, far below the commonly recommended minimum of SPF 15. Wear clothing with a thicker weave or apply sunscreen under a thin, porous shirt. In addition, a hat with a full, wide brim gives added protection to the face, neck and scalp, and sunglasses help protect the eyes from damage.
- Ignore skin type and base tans. Everyone can burn, regardless of skin pigmentation and even if already tanned. Sunscreen and clothing, not skin color, offer the best protection.
- Sunscreen, in fact, should be worn regardless of what you're doing while outside, including swimming. Water doesn't protect against the sun's rays, so sunscreen and, if possible, a sun-protective bathing suit are recommended.
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/skin-and-hair/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100235055
From reading these recommendations I've got an impression that sun was not the major source of our well-being for millions of years, but rather an alien monster suddenly preyed on humanity from a foreign universe.
And, by the way, has anyone heard about skin cancer among any other living creatures?
It seems like we had again fallen victims of misinterpreted statistics. As with many other health issues, with regard to negative impacts of sun exposure, the symptoms and causes are probably confused and on these shaky grounds excessive precautions are established.
Apparently (and again, according to stats!) they do not work:
Apparently (and again, according to stats!) they do not work:
While we cover-up more painstakingly and do not leave our houses without thick layers of sun block, skin cancers are steadily on the rise. They became 'younger', impair body parts never exposed to direct sunlight and happen to people of various skin shades that, according to the laws of physics, process sunlight differently.
The testimonials are all over the Internet:
‘After being diagnosed with melanoma this summer (at 25), I did some research into skin cancers, and their incidence are on the rise, even among my age group.’
Kelli Black , California , USA
‘I have suffered from a melanoma on the instep of my foot. How can the sun have caused this? My consultant said that melanomas can occur in the mouth, inside the ear etc. Do we really know for sure that the sun does indeed cause melanomas, and not just basal cell carcinomas which are not so deadly?’
Jenny Adams, England
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3142386.stm
Rare voices of reason can be heard today regarding our relations with solar radiation. These voices are timid and uncertain:
‘[Sunscreen] blocks out harmful Ultra violet rays from the skin…; however it can also block your ability to produce vitamin D. If you live in a northerly area or one that receives limited sunlight, it is recommended to get at least 15 minutes of sun a day (this is probably best done with minimal sunblock) and according to personal sun sensitivity.‘
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Sun+lotion
‘Using newly available data on worldwide cancer incidence, researchers at the Moores Cancer Center at University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine have shown a clear association between deficiency in exposure to sunlight, specifically ultraviolet B (UVB), and breast cancer.’
Thereby, we must avoid sun exposure to protect skin from cancers and, at the same time, we need more sun exposure - to beat other cancers.
Isn't it a paradox? Wouldn't it be sensible to suppose, that sun has little to do with skin cancers? Can the causes of skin cancers (just as of other cancers) be rooted in our civilized environment, in unwholesome things that we eat, drink, exhale and put on our skin?
These are the very things that drastically deviated in economically developed countries within recent decades - exactly the geography and timing of the growing skin cancer statistic.
Finally somebody has voiced what I have been thinking for a while.
ReplyDeleteFolks traditionally living in warm climates; and therefore, traditionally wearing rather open garments, do not carry a history of skin cancer as a concequesnce. If it was the case, the traditional, national clothing would have been different.
The rise of skin cancer correlates with the rise in the use of chemicals in lotion, food etc, and our increased exposure to the radiation from cell phones, computers, other devices, etc
As uncomfortoble as it may sound, it is probably true, but will become an official logical answer much later, if ever, due to the interest of the groups making money on these products :) and I guess the industrial progress... of sorts....