Skin Cancer Prevention and Sun Awareness

Aim

“Working together for a Healthier Scotland”

in all cancers by 2010

Raise awareness amongst young children and their carers of the importance of safe sun practices

Targeting Primary Aged Children

• Children are particularly vulnerable to damage from over exposure to the sun

• Time spent in school &outdoors

• Greatest long-term benefits

The Sun

• Sun

Ultra-violet

Visible light

Infra-red

Harmful to skin

Allows us to see and plants to grow

Gives the feeling of warmth

High UV levels

• Between 11am and 3pm

• Between April and September in UK

• Close to the equator

• At high altitude

• On reflective surfaces: sand, snow, water

•Skin cancer

•Sunburn

Wrinkling

•Ageing Dryness

Liver spots

UV damage to the skin

UV radiation

UVA

• Penetrates deeply into the skin

• Causes cancer

• Skin ageing

UVB

• Penetrates surface of skin

• Causes cancer

• Causes sunburn

Skin cancer

Non-melanomaMalignant melanoma

Skin cancer

Malignant melanoma

Most serious form of skin cancer

Can spread to other parts of thebody if not removed at early stage

Responsible for most skin cancer deaths

Commonly caused by short high

intensity sun exposure (e.g.

summer holidays)

Malignant melanoma

Superficial spreading malignant melanoma

Skin cancer

Non-melanoma(Basal cell cancer

Squamous cell cancer)

Most common cancer

Less likely to spread to other parts

Can be disfiguring

More common after high lifelong

exposure (e.g. outdoor workers)

Skin cancer in the UK

Basal cell cancer Superficial basal cell cancer

Squamous cell cancer

Skin cancer in the UK

• There are over 75,000 new cases of skin cancer diagnosed each year in the UK

•Many cases are not reported so the real number of cases is probably much higher

•The number of cases has almost tripled since the early 80s

•Over 2,300 people die from skin cancer each year in the UK (Cancer research uk)

Why is skin cancer increasing?

•More leisure time

•More foreign holidays

•Fashion for a tan

BUT a third of Scots with skin cancer have never been abroad

Skin Type

Type Skin, hair and eye colour History of Sun burning or Tanning

I White skin and freckles Red or fair hair Blue or green eyes

Always burns easily, never tans

II White skin, Light hair, Blue or brown eyes

Burns easily, tans minimally

III Tends to have white skin, Brown hair Brown eyes

Burns moderately, tans gradually to light brown

IV Dark skin Dark brown eyes Dark brown hair.

Burns minimally, always tans well to moderately brown

V Dark skin Dark brown eyes Dark brown hair

Rarely burns, tans profusely to dark brown

VI Dark skin Dark hair Dark brown eyes.

Never burns, deeply pigmented

High risk groups

•Red or blonde hair

•Fair or freckly skin

•Skin that does not tan easily

•History of sunburn

•Family history of skin cancer

•Lots of moles

•Have already had skin cancer

•Transplant patients

•Babies and children

Signs of skin cancer

Watch out for moles that

•change shape or colour

•increase in size

May sometimes be

• itchy or painful

• inflamed

• bleed

•Be aware of patches of skin that do not heal

If in doubt consult your doctor

Sunburn

• What is Sunburn

•Literally a burn on your skin

•The long-term consequences of years of overexposure to the sun are significant.

•One blistering sunburn in childhood doubles the likelihood of developing Malignant melanoma

•Everyone is at risk

•Doesn't just happen in hot weather

Sun Beds

•Not in wide spread use before the 1990’s-full effects not known

•Give out UV rays main cause of skin cancer

•If you don’t tan in the sun you will not tan any more easily on a sun bed

•Users believe skin damage is avoided provided their skin does not burn- Not true

•Using a sunbed is no safer than sunbathing outdoors

Protecting our children and ourselves

•Avoid burning

•Stay in the shade between 11am and 3pm

•Cover up - wear tight weave loose fitting clothes

•Wear a hat that covers the ears and neck

•Wear sunglasses that meet British UV standards

•Keep babies under 12 months out of direct sunlight.

•Use a sunscreen with minimum SPF of 15 on exposed skin

•Provide plenty of drinks to avoid dehydration

Protecting our children and ourselves

SPF (Sun protection factors)

•In theory SPF measures how many times longer it takes for skin to redden using sunscreen compared to unprotected skin

•Use a minimum of SPF 15

•Higher factors give only a small increase in protection

•Reapply frequently

•SPF measures protection from UVB

•You also need protection from UVA

•A star rating indicates how effective the sunscreen blocks UVA

•Four stars indicates the highest protection

UVA protection

REMEMBER

•Sunscreen is rarely applied at the recommended rate so protection is reduced

•DO NOT allow the use of sunscreen to increase your time in the sun

•BEWARE damage may occur before skin reddens

•BEWARE burning causes damage with or without sunscreen

SUN AVOIDANCE IS MORE IMPORTANT

Sunscreen sense

Increased risk of getting skin cancer as an adult