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| *Women health>>>Skin Cancer |
Do people with extremely "fair" skin run a higher risk of sun damage due to sunburns or skin cancer? |
I'm just wondering, because I'm so white, I can't tan at all, and when I burn, I **burn**--even with adequate sunscreen protection! So I stay out of the sunlight during the hottest hours of the day, and avoid summers like the plague. If I have to go out, I wear a long sleeved dress shirt to cover my arms. Here's my thing: Since the introduction of sunscreen, skincancer has risen by 75%. Either it doesn't work, or the chemicals in the sunscreen itself is causing the skin cancer. Hmmmmmm. You are doing the right thing by staying out of the hottest part of the day, and wearing a long-sleeved shirt. Yes, due to your extreme lightness, you do run the higher risk of skin cancer. Also remember that sunlight can reflect off of concrete and water, too. But you do need SOME sunlight for the Vitamin D. Very simply, sunburn and UV light can damage your skin, and this damage can lead to skin cancer. There are of course other determining factors, including your heredity and the environment you live in. However, both the total amount of sun received over the years, and overexposure resulting in sunburn can cause skin cancer. Most people receive 80% of their lifetime exposure to the sun by 18 years of age. The message to parents from this is to protect your children. Tanning is your skin's response to UV light. It is a protective reaction to prevent further injury to your skin from the sun. However, it does not prevent skin cancer. Remember, skin cancer is very slow to develop. The sunburn you receive this week may take 20 years or more to become skin cancer. Heredity If there is a history of skin cancer in your family, you are probably at a higher risk. People with fair skin, with a northern European heritage appear to be most susceptible. Environment The level of UV light today is higher than it was 50 or 100 years ago. This is due to a reduction of ozone in the earth's atmosphere (the Ozone Hole). Ozone serves as a filter to screen out and reduce the amount of UV light that we are exposed to. With less atmospheric ozone, a higher level of UV light reaches the earth's surface. Other influencing factors include elevation, latitude, and cloud cover. Ultra Violet light is stronger as elevation increases. The thinner atmosphere at higher altitudes cannot filter UV as effectively as it can at sea level. The rays of the sun are also strongest near the equator, as you might guess. But even in Antarctica, Chile, and New Zealand, the UV level is much higher than normal especially in the springtime due to the ozone hole in the southern hemisphere. One factor that actually reduces UV is cloud cover. Climates and micro-climates with regular cloud cover may have a 50% lower level of UV light. The actual amount is affected by the density of the clouds. yahoo search ppl with fair skin do have a higher risk of skin diseases and such. I dont know if u've noticed, but ppl of certain ethnicities that have darker skin don't burn. I think it involves a pigment in a persons skin. short answer - yes. Less pigment, "melanin" - less sun protection. Whites run a higher risk of sun damage. Yes. The less melanin (pigmentation) the more you are prone to your skin burning faster which equals to the risk of sunburns and cancer. |
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