Children from an early age should be educated
how to prevent skin cancer, because sun overexposure in early childhood smaller
affects the development of skin cancer later in life. As a parent we have to
take responsibility for educate children at an early age about sun
overexposure.Regular use of sun screen in the first 18 years of life can reduce
non malignant melanoma by 6 %. Sunburn in children DOUBLES the risk.
What is skin cancer?
Skin cancer is a malignant tumour that grows in the skin cells and
accounts for more than 50 % of all cancers. These carcinomas occur most
frequently on exposed parts of the body, in the skin exposed to sunlight.
Always examine your
child's skin on a regular basis. New moles, moles that have grown or changed,
and moles that are itchy or bleeding should be checked by your child's doctor.
Skin cancers usually
arise from large, asymmetric moles with irregular borders and coloration.
The warning
signs are:ABCDE
Sign
|
Characteristic
|
Asymmetry
|
When half of the mole does
not match the other half
|
Border
|
When the border of the mole
are ragged or irregular
|
Color
|
When the colour of the mole
varies throughout
|
Diameter
|
If the mole's diameter is
larger than a pencil's eraser
|
Elevation
|
Does it have a raised
surface?
|
There are three main types of
skin cancer:
Name
|
Description
|
Basal cell carcinoma
|
Usually appears as a small, shiny bump or nodule on the skin, mainly
those areas exposed to the sun, such as the head, neck, arms, hands, and
face. It more commonly occurs among people with light-coloured eyes, hair,
and complexion.
|
Squamous cell carcinoma
|
More aggressive than basal cell carcinoma.Appear mainly in areas such as
nodules or red, scaly patches of skin, and may be found on the face, scalp,
neck, ears, lips, and mouth, hands, arms and legs. Squamous cell carcinoma
can spread to other parts of the body, although this is rare. This type of
skin cancer is usually found in fair-skinned people.
|
Malignant melanoma
|
Sometimes begins as a mole that then turns cancerous. This cancer may
spread quickly. Malignant melanoma most often appears on fair-skinned men and
women, but people with all skin types may be affected.
|
What causes skin cancer?
Exposure to sunlight is the major contributing
factor to developing skin cancer later in life.
Skin cancer is more common in
fair-skinned people, especially those with blond or red hair, who have
light-coloured eyes. Other risk factors include:
- Family history of melanoma
- Prior history of skin cancer
- Early childhood sunburns
- Many freckles
- Many ordinary moles (more than 50)
- Lowered immunity.
Prevention of skin cancer- how
to help reduce the risk of sunburn and skin cancer?
No protection from the sun can be as dangerous
as the sun itself.
Protect your children and yourself from
excessive sun exposure when the sun is strongest (between 10 am and four p.m.)
by stay in the shade.
Always remember about:
Make sure your child is dressed appropriately.
Apply sun cream with an SPF-30 or higher that protects
against both UVA and UVB rays, to all areas of your child's (older than 6
months of age) body that are exposed to the sun.
Sun
cream should be applied every day, even on cloudy or winter days, up to 80
percent of UV rays penetrates the clouds. Sun cream should be apply from 30 to 15 minutes before leaving the
house.
On a
hot day sun
cream should be applied every two hours , after swimming or excessive
sweating .
Wear protective clothing like hat.Hats should provide
shade for both the face, ears, and back of the neck.
Wearing sunglasses will reduce the amount of rays reaching
the eye and protect the lids of the eyes, as well as the lens.
Remember, sand
and pavements reflect UV rays even under an umbrella. Snow is a particularly
good reflector of UV rays.
Avoid exposure to UV radiation from sunlamps or tanning parlours.
How early to start checking?
The last thing you want to think about your
child that something bad is happening to him, in particular, when the baby is
just born. But remember , because sun cream for children can be used only from
6 months of age and in this period a child is more exposed to sunlight.
Remember even if skin cancer rarely affects children before puberty, the most
common skin cancers are usually found after years of damage or burns from the
sun.
The best is prevention. Teach your child to
play in the shade, not in direct sunlight.
.
The study of children (and
yourself) is usually the first step in detecting skin cancer.
• Check yours and yours’ baby body.Remember to look carefully.
• Pay attention to changes in the number, size, shape and colour of
pigmented areas.
• Follow the ABCDE Chart
Pay attention to your child’s lips as well by applying lip balms with an
SPF of 30 or higher. That it’s a vulnerable area that can be burned easily and
an area where skin cancer can indeed strike.
Education can be fun.
You can start a conversation with your child. Try by playing with it to find five answers why Sam is exposed to skin cancer and George doesn't?
1.________________________________________________________________________________________2.________________________________________________________________________________________
3.________________________________________________________________________________________
4.________________________________________________________________________________________
5.________________________________________________________________________________________
MarlenaWeber
and Claire Rutter BBC
