Weekender Alicante North Issue 109

32 FRIDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER 2019
www.weekender.news
Health&Lifestyle
Own your tone
IT is a worrying statistic.
Melanoma skin cancer incidence
rates have soared
by 45 per cent since 2004,
according to the latest
figures.
Rates have increased by
more than a third for women
and by almost three-fifths for
men. Cancer risk generally
goes up with age and, while
melanoma is still more common
in those over 65, rates
for 25-49-year-olds have increased
by 70 per cent since
the 1990s.
Cancer Research UK has
warned that getting sunburnt,
just once every two
years, can triple the risk of
melanoma skin cancer.
Chief executive Michelle
Mitchell says: “While some
might think that a tan is a
sign of good health, there is
no such thing as a healthy
tan, it’s actually your body
trying to protect itself from
harmful rays.
“These statistics highlight
the importance of our ‘Own
Your Tone’ campaign, which
encourages people to embrace
their natural skin tone and
adopt sun-safe behaviours.”
The organisation says the
rise of the package holiday
to sunspots such as Spain in
the 1970s and a more recent
surge in cheap flights have
played their part in the situation
- with visitors keen to
get a tan on their hols without
realising that it is actually
putting them at risk of
permanent sun damage.
However, it adds that
awareness of melanoma skin
cancer is also increasing,
meaning more people are
being diagnosed with, and
treated for, the disease.
Karis Betts, health information
manager at Cancer
Research UK, adds: “We want
to encourage people to embrace
their natural look and
protect their skin from UV
damage by seeking shade,
covering up and regularly
applying sunscreen with at
least SPF 15 and 4 or 5 stars.”
Too much ultraviolet (UV)
radiation from the sun can
damage DNA in skin cells
and cause skin cancer. The
sun naturally gives out ultraviolet
radiation and there
are two main types of UV
rays that can damage skin:
UVB is responsible for the
majority of sunburns and
can cause skin cancer.
UVA penetrates deep into
the skin. It ages the skin
but contributes much less
towards sunburn and can
cause skin cancer.
When the sun is strong,
it’s important to remember
three pieces of key advice:
• Seek shade – when the
sun is strongest
• Cover up with clothing
– wear a t-shirt, hat
and sunglasses
• Apply sunscreen regularly
– with at least SPF15 and
4 or 5 stars. Use it generously,
re-apply regularly
and use in combination
with shade and clothing
RESEARCHERS in Australia
have set out to discover
what role genes play in
skin cancer as part of the
world’s largest study into
the disease.
Scientists will collect
DNA samples from 20,000
adults to work out which
genes might be contributing
to or helping ward off a
disease that forces 400,000
people in Australia alone to
seek treatment each year.
They are seeking recruits
from every Australian state
and territory, including people
who have had skin cancer,
have never had it, and
with a range of skin types.
Professor David Whiteman,
from the QIMR Berghofer
Medical Research
Institute, says: “By comparing
genetic data from
a large cross-section of
people, we will also get vital
information about how
skin cancers develop, so
we can work towards better
ways of preventing and
treating them.
“You don’t have to have
had skin cancer to sign up.
It’s just as important for
people with no history of
skin cancer to join this study
so we can find the ‘protective’
genes that reduce the
risk of these cancers.”
The study’s project manager,
Dr Catherine Olsen,
adds: “DNA collection has
changed considerably over
the years and now only
requires participants to
provide a saliva sample.
We also want our volunteers
to take a short survey
about their general health,
skin characteristics and
sun habits.
“The DNA samples will allow
us to see how genes vary
for different people, and
how they might be related
to skin cancer risk. We want
to find out why some people
get skin cancers and others
don’t. These large genetic
studies are the best way of
answering those questions.”
Cathy Matt has taken
part in the study. She signed
up to help find answers to
the disease that has menaced
most of her family.
She adds: “My mother,
my two siblings, other
members of my extended
family and I have all had
skin cancers cut out. I’d
like to know what makes
us so susceptible and if it is
in our genes.
“Hopefully identifying
the genetic causes of skin
cancer will eventually
lead to better preventions
and treatments, which
will help my son avoid the
skin cancer problems that
have affected the rest of
my family.”
NEW OWNERS
LAURA FROM IBROX
& ORANGE TREE
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