UK Incidence of Malignant Melanoma Now Exceeds 10,000 Cases

BBC News reports that Cancer Research UK is warning people against 'binge tanning', as rates of malignant melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, continue to increase faster than any other cancer.

As weather forecasters predict a hot summer in Britain, Sara Hiom, Cancer Research UK's director of health information, says, "Most melanoma skin cancers are caused by over exposure to UV rays given off by the sun and sunbeds." People are advised to avoid getting burned in the sun, to cover up with clothing, to wear sunglasses and sunhats, and to apply high factor sunscreen.

Reminder: there is more and more research finding that certain groups of people are short of vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, so it would probably be best not to take avoidance of the sun too far. For example, see BBC News item

Eating five tomatoes a day could help protect against sunburn and premature ageing, new research has revealed.

Eating tomatoes 'keeps you safe in the sun'

Extracts from the Telegraph:

"Experts at Manchester and Newcastle Universities found the fruit improved the skin's ability to protect itself against ultra-violet light.

The researchers calculated that the protection offered by eating tomatoes was comparable to applying factor 1.3 sunscreen.

The team is now hoping to carry out more research to find out if eating tomatoes can protect against more severe forms of sun-damage such as skin cancer."

"Analysis of skin samples from both groups also showed that the tomato diet had boosted the skin's procollagen levels, a molecule which gives the skin its structure. Losing procollagen leads to the skin ageing and losing its elasticity.

It was also found that the increased levels of lycopene reduced damage to mitochondrial DNA in the skin. Damage to that particular genetic material is also linked to ageing skin."

Sunscreen is inadequate as protection from sun damage to the skin.

Experts warn against reliance on sunscreen - Telegraph

Extract:

"Using sunscreen is no substitute for covering up, doctors warned yesterday.

Protective clothing and hats are the still the best way to guard against skin cancer and the ageing effects of the sun, said experts writing in The Lancet medical journal.

Dr Stephan Lautenschlager, a skin specialist at Triemli Hospital in Zurich, and his colleagues carried out a review of sun protection strategies around the world.

They concluded: "Wearing sunprotective clothes and a hat and reducing sun exposure to a minimum should be preferred to sunscreens. Often this solution is deemed to be unacceptable and sunscreens could become the predominant mode of sun protection.

"Nevertheless, sunscreens should not be abused in an attempt to increase time in the sun."

Sunscreens had been shown to protect against sunburn and less serious forms of skin cancer, said the experts. However, there was no conclusive proof that they prevented the potentially deadly melanoma skin cancer.

The condition affects more than 8,100 men and women in Britain each year and causes almost 2,000 deaths."

There are many prescription drugs that tend to cause sun sensitivity, e.g. HRT, and 'slimming' also makes you more sensitive to the sun because it makes your skin thinner and weaker. - Lessen the strain on your skin by giving up 'slimming'/dieting forever! - You can easily lose a lot of excess weight by reducing your salt/sodium intake.

Lose weight by eating less salt! Go on! - Try it! - You will feel so much better!
See my website www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk
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