One of every two cases of cancer detected in the region corresponds to skin cancer, which gives an idea of the magnitude of this health problem.
Oscar Osorio Ospina
In the 1920s, designer Coco Chanel broke one of the most deeply rooted concepts in European society by appearing in photographs with her tanned skin on board a yacht, which quickly became an icon of female beauty. At that time, white skin was considered a symbol of beauty and distinction, while exposure to the sun was practically reserved for the lower social spheres who had to carry out exhausting days of physical work exposed to the rays of the sun.
Adding to the tanning fever that Coco Chanel sparked was actress Josephine Baker, who became famous as the woman with caramel skin. And in more recent times, very popular television series such as Baywatch consolidated the fashion for tanned skin worn by stars such as David Hasselhoff, Panela Anderson, Carmen Electra, Brooke Burns and Vannesa Angel.
The truth is that the tanning fad, accompanied by a flourishing pharmaceutical industry dedicated to the manufacture of this type of products, spread throughout the world, often without measuring the consequences of severe and sometimes prolonged exposure to the sun in a paradisiacal beach or in a crowded pool.
But in these times this practice is taking its toll on human beings, making skin lesions one of the most frequent, often with fatal consequences, as pointed out by Dr. Viviana Méndez, a doctor specialized in dermatology and who is studying a master’s degree in Complex Skin Cancer at the University of Alcalá (Spain).
Worrying data
Last year, in the area of influence of the Risaralda Cancer League, 2,154 new cases of cancer were detected, which is equivalent to 165 monthly and between five and six daily. This area covers the departments of Risaralda, Caldas, Quindío, Tolima, Chocó and northern Valle del Cauca.
But the worrying thing is that 969 of these cases correspond to skin cancer, that is, 45%, while breast cancer reached 15%, cervical cancer 7% and prostate cancer 5%. This means that every month in this area of the country, 80 cases of skin cancer are detected, that is, between two and three a day, mainly basal cell carcinoma, which is the most common, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma.
“Normally there is cellular damage, an alteration of the DNA of the cells. For great damage, according to the WHO, it is when the person who has consumed more than 10,000 hours of sun during childhood and adolescence and has a higher percentage of creating a type of cancer in adulthood, in fact, in older people “The age of 60 is when the damage from the sun begins to be seen as such,” explains Dr. Méndez.
Note that there are two types of sun exposure: continuous and intermittent. The first is when that person is continually under the sun and begins to create a continuous protective tan with prolonged damage, while intermittent tanning occurs when the person goes to the sea two or three times a year and is exposed to the sun until they burn. , then they flake and their skin falls off. In these cases, the skin tans, which is a protective effect, that is, it darkens the skin and tries to protect the entire body, then it rests for a few months and the skin lightens again.
Dr. Méndez reiterates that, in large part, the high percentage of skin cancer that is occurring now is due to the effects of the tanning fad that begins to appear over the years. “And these people are now coming to our office, 60 or 80 years old, with all types of skin lesions, which are not the result of now. Those tans, that fashion, climate change and the damage to the ozone layer have made these injuries much more aggressive than years ago. “So those people, who are now over 60, begin to come to us with the result of everything they experienced and for which we were not prepared,” notes the dermatology professional.
Direct exposure to the sun without protection is very dangerous for the skinDirect exposure to the sun without protection is very dangerous for the skin
The dangers
In passing, he warns of the danger that tanning beds entail for the skin, even though they are not direct rays as such, but they do cause a change in the skin and damage to the DNA of the cells, which is very harmful.
And the risk is even greater when we are entering a period of the El Niño Phenomenon that can extend until March of next year, with much more intense solar radiation. “As there is no protection from the ozone layer, the rays penetrate much stronger, so if people are not used to having sun protection, what will happen is that those solar rays enter directly into the skin. The idea is to take care of yourself not only with elements such as sunscreen, but also to use umbrellas, hats and long sleeves at all times,” as advised.
Likewise, he recommends being aware of the warning signs that the skin may present, for example basal cell carcinomas that begin as a small lesion that can grow, become transparent or pigmented and present bleeding. In the case of squamous cell carcinomas, it is an erythematous, or red, lesion, which does not heal because the skin is continuously inflamed, although after a time it can return to its normal state, but this type of lesions appear again and may become larger. Regarding melanomas, in medical science the ABCDE detection system is applied where A corresponds to asymmetry, B to irregular edges, C to a change in color, D to a diameter that is usually greater than five millimeters and the E to a rapid evolution, while normal moles are round, they can have colors, but they are usually always very symmetrical and do not go beyond that.
Dr. Méndez assures that melanoma can lead to death, because unlike carcinomas, in many patients it can affect what is called the sentinel lymph node, cause lymphatic dissemination and affect other organs. “When we identify a patient with melanoma, we begin to do ultrasounds, take a sentinel lymph node sample, and abdominal tomography and always check that there is no dissemination,” he points out.
recommendations
One of the first and most important is to use sunscreen every morning, preferably with a level equal to or greater than 50% protection, which should be applied every two or three hours, always making one layer over another. It is preferable to use umbrellas, ensuring that they have protection against UV rays with a dark or gray inner layer. Likewise, wear hats but not caps since these leave the ears exposed and many cases of injuries to the pinna have been seen.
And in case of suspicion, go to the Risaralda Cancer League, which has 38 offices, an oncology center, a dermatology unit, three surgery rooms and four procedure rooms, 38 single-person room beds and seven intensive care beds. , nine basic medical specialties and four paramedical specialties and consultation in 12 subspecialties and oncology.