Protection can help prevent skin cancer

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This article was published 08/07/2023 (859 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Westman mom of two always has sun safety on her mind and says she wouldn’t dream of letting her children play outside without protection from the sun.

As Lindsay Dunn watched her three-year-old daughter Juno play on the monkey bars at Rideau Park, she said a family history of cancer has made her even more aware.

“My grandfather had skin cancer, and he was a farmer who was outside all the time in the sun,” said Dunn. “I would protect my kids anyway, but just to be sure, Juno has a sun hat on and sunscreen with SPF 50, and I’ve got on SPF 30.”

SPF stands for sun protection factor, and the higher the number, the better.

An SPF value of 15 protects against 93 per cent of ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. SPF 30 protects against 97 per cent, and SPF 50 protects against 98 per cent.

Sunscreen is also part of Cody Robinson’s routine for his sons. He reapplies the lotion on his five-year-old son Parker in between bucket splashes at Rideau Park.

“Same thing when we’re at the cabin or when we’re playing outside, it’s sunscreen and a hat,” said Robinson.

The number of people getting skin cancer is on the rise in Canada, and at a constant rate, according to the Canadian Cancer Society, with one of the main causes being exposure to UV rays from the sun.

There are three types of skin cancer, including basal cell carcinoma, which forms on the top layer of the skin, and squamous cell carcinoma, which tends to develop on the face, hands and lips.

The third is melanoma, the most common type of skin cancer, and most cases are the result of too much sun, said Dr. Ralph Wong, a medical oncologist with CancerCare Manitoba.

“Unfortunately, melanoma is strongly related to exposure to the sun and is a far more dangerous tumour, which tends to spread quickly,” said Wong.

“Sunlight damages skin and is why we have tans. It’s our body’s way of protecting our skin against the damage from the UV radiation. Sun exposure causes mutations in DNA and eventually, one of those mutations, if not repaired correctly, will set the ball rolling for a patient to develop a skin cancer,” said Wong.

It’s important for people to monitor their skin and look for moles, or growths, added Wong, and to take notice if they change in size, shape, or if they bleed.

A growth about the size of an eraser on the end of a pencil, which is about four millimetres, would be reason enough for someone to show it to their family doctor.

“If it was a four-millimetre growth in colon or breast cancer, you would just cut it out and tell the patient to go on their way. But a four-millimetre melanoma has a very high chance of spreading and actually causing the patient to pass away,” said Wong.

The good news is, Wong said, people are becoming more aware about changes in their skin and in taking preventative measures when out in the sun.

“We’re seeing more and more early onset melanomas where people can have them removed by the surgeons and they don’t run into trouble,” Wong said.

The skin is the largest organ of the body, and the key to preventing damage is to start protecting it at a young age, said Brandon’s Dr. Barb Kelleher.

“When I see somebody with a dark tan, I’m kind of horrified. I see a lot of skin, just by the nature of my aesthetic business,” Kelleher said.

Kelleher was a general practitioner for more than 20 years. She’s past-president of Doctors Manitoba and now runs The Skin and Vein Centre in the Wheat City.

Through different procedures including a photofacial, which uses pulses of light to treat age spots, and with vitamin C serum, which fights toxins, Kelleher said, the skin can be rejuvenated.

“We just have to try and be diligent, because getting a sunburn is not a good thing. You peel because you’ve burned that top layer right off, so not a good way at all to treat your skin. And the main thing is, you don’t want to get skin cancer,” Kelleher said.

There is a sun-awareness campaign in Australia that Wong said has been very successful in reducing the number of skin cancer cases called “Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek.” It encouraged Australians to slip on a T-shirt or sunglasses, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat and seek shade.

Since the campaign was introduced more than 15 years ago, the rate of melanoma for those aged 30 and under has dropped in half, according to the Australian Government’s Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

“You don’t have to become a hermit in your house. You can go out and enjoy the sun,” Wong said. “Just make sure you wear a wide-brimmed hat, use common sense and use the appropriate skin protection.”

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

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