What Causes Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is a disease that seems to be more common with each passing day. This may be because more research is done on the disease and people have become far more aware of skin cancer now. Or maybe people are getting skin cancer more than they used to because of environmental conditions like the increase in ultraviolet radiation from the sun due to holes in the ozone layer. So what is behind this increase ? This article will discuss what causes skin cancer.

The number one skin cancer cause, according to current thinking is being exposed to direct sunlight for a long period of time. Do you remember when people thought of a suntan as a sign of good health ?

Well this isn't the way these days. If you live in a part of the world where the sun beats down and maybe the ozone layer has been depleted no doubt you are used to the mantra of slip, slop, slap. Slip on a shirt, slop on a hat and slap on a 30+ sun protection factor sunscreen.

The fact is that, although everyone wants to spend a bit of time in the sun once in a while, too much sun on the skin will lead to skin cancer.  How much sun is too much is largely down to the individuals skin type.

People that find their skin burning quickly in the sun are at greater risk of skin cancer. Burning could be the skin turning red or even peeling but ultimately the person will feel pain on the burned portions of the skin. And pain is the body telling you that something is wrong.  People often ignore the pain because they are having a good time or their work requires them to work in sunny conditions.

A person that burns quicker generally has less melanin in the body. Melanin is a substance that produces color or pigmentation in the skin, eyes and hair. So people with less melanin will be characterized by fair hair - blond or red, light colored eyes - blue or green and pale skin. People with no melanin at all have a condition knowns as Albinism. An Albino will have no color in the hair, eyes and skin.

The way that melanin protects the skin is by darkening it whenever it comes in contact with sunlight. this is commonly known as a suntan and is the body's way of preventing sunburn and thus skin cancer. However, it is an extremely fine line between getting a suntan and going to far and getting sun damaged skin.

Being exposed to Ultraviolet radiation is another cause of skin cancer. This may happen in a work environment but is most common in the humble sun bed. The sun bed is a popular way to get a tan all year round but overuse of the bed puts your skin at risk to damage and ultimately skin cancer.

In summary, you should protect yourself against ultra violet radiation. This may get to you in many ways, but the most common is exposure to sunlight. If you are in such a position, be it business or pleasure, you should protect your skin using clothing, eye protection and sunscreen.

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