Sun Safety

South Africa is renowned for its sunny skies and pristine beaches, but spending too much time enjoying these natural wonders could place you at risk of something else we are famous for - malignant melanoma. Yup, South Africa has one of the highest incidences of malignant melanoma in the world, the most dangerous form of skin cancer
Malignant melanoma develops when normal pigment-producing skin cells, called melanocytes become abnormal, grow uncontrollably, and invade surrounding tissues. What makes melanomas so dangerous is that they grow extremely quickly. This type of cancer becomes life threatening in as little as 6 weeks, and if untreated can spread and start to invade other parts of your body.
So what should we do to avoid it? You may have heard that using sunblock all the time puts us at risk for vitamin D deficiency, but on the other hand we want to avoid skin cancer … now what? Most South Africans get adequate vitamin D from just a few minutes of daily exposure to sunlight. Even when you're wearing sunscreen, small amounts of UV rays still penetrate your skin, so stick with the sunblock! Ironically, despite our sunny skies, as many as 1 in 5 South Africans have Vit D deficiency - if that could be you, you’ll need to supplement.
You may have also heard that people with darker skins don’t need sunblock because their skin is naturally protected. Perish the thought!! What is true is that skin cancer happens 15 times more often amongst fair skinned South Africans, so having darker skin does have its benefits, but definitely not enough to skip the SPF aisle all together! Having extra melanin, which gives skin its colour, provides a natural SPF of around 13, but it isn’t enough to protect the skin from any sun induced damage. What’s concerning in those with darker skins, is that melanomas are often picked up far later than those on fair skin, and as a result are a lot more advanced, and a lot more dangerous.
So becoming aware of what’s normal and what’s not will be half the battle won. However, there are only 208 practising dermatologists in South Africa, of which 165 are exclusively in private practice which means that around 85% of our population are left totally exposed (excuse the pun) with a ratio of one dermatologist for everyone one million South Africans.
Mole mapping is a brilliant way to keep track of the health of your moles and your skin overall, but with that kind of a shortage of dermatologists, it’s a bit of a challenge to get everyone to do one! Fortunately there is a DIY skin cancer check that everyone can do, and it’s as easy as knowing your ABC, Ds and E!
A for Asymmetry - a mark with one half unlike the other (not symmetrical)
B for Border irregularities - or poorly defined edges.
C for colour changes - tan, black, brown, red, white, blue.
D for diameter - mainly larger than 6mm
E for evolve - as the “mole” grows bigger and becomes more prominent
The key point here, once again is all about prevention. Skin cancer can be easily managed provided it’s caught early enough, so becoming aware of what’s normal and what isn’t is the first step in keeping your skin healthy and cancer free!