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Having melanoma skin cancer can double your risk of getting further cancer. The British Journal of Cancer recently published this disturbing report from researchers in both France and Northern Ireland. In the UK alone every year 9,500 people are diagnosed with malignant melanoma, with more than 2,000 dying each year from this form of skin cancer.
Researchers found that after studying more that 22,700 cases of cancer between 1993 and 2002 (nine years) that the chance of getting a further cancer increased by 200% (or more than doubled) compared to the risk of the general population. Professor Liam Murray of Queen's University Belfast stated that "This study confirms that people with a diagnosis of skin cancer have an increased future risk of developing another type of cancer, especially one of the other types of skin cancer or a smoking related cancer and for those with melanoma the risk may be more than double that of the rest of the population."
So if you are planning to catch some winter sun to boost your fading tan take warning. Ensure you avoid the sun when at it's strongest at midday, but you must use a factor 15 plus suncream at least. Sarah Hiom who is the director of health information at Cancer Research gave a start warning that 2 in 3 melanomas and 9 out of 10 non-melanoma skin cancers are a result from too much UV exposure.
The number of people being diagnosed with malignant melanoma has doubled every ten years for the past 40 years and the concern is that this figure is still increasing. People need to be educated that as we take more and more vacations to sunnier climates, which exposes us to a greater risk of getting skin cancer.
The American Melanoma Foundation advice using a sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher for every day, year-round use. But if you have fair skin or there is a family history of skin cancer you should use SPF 30 or higher. If you are intending to spend most of the day outside in the sun it is advisable to use an SPF of 30 or higher. An SPF of 15 will block 93% of the ultraviolet radiation and an SPF of 34 will block 97% of the ultraviolet radiation.
Author: Natalie Donnelly
Date : 18 January 2009
Website: http://www.wellheeledwomen.net/winter-sun-can-be-a-killer.html |
