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White County
Families
Skin Protection
Note: The following article was written by Holly Hall, a Harding
University Family and Consumer Sciences student currently serving as an intern
in the White County Cooperative Extension Service office.
Have you ever stayed outside all day long and not even thought of putting on
sunscreen, then the next day regretted that you never put any on? Being
sunburned isn’t fun. I am personally experiencing this with my husband. He went
fishing all day last Saturday and didn’t wear any sunscreen. We have lived at
the doctor’s office this week trying to get him some medicine for relief. Now he
promises to always wear sunscreen before he goes fishing again! We have to take
good care of our skin because our skin serves several functions:
- Regulation of body temperature through control of sweat production.
- Protection that acts as a barrier for underlying tissues from physical
abrasion, bacterial invasion, dehydration, and ultraviolet radiation.
- Sensation through abundant nerve endings and receptors that detect
stimuli related to temperature, touch, pressure, and pain.
- Excretion through sweat, of a small amount of salt and several organic
compounds.
- Provision of immunity to foreign invaders by certain cells of the
epidermis that are important components of the immune system.
- Blood reservoir in dermis of the skin that houses extensive networks of
blood vessels that carry eight to ten percent of the blood flow in a resting
adult.
- Synthesis of vitamin D begins with activation of a precursor molecule in
the skin, by UV rays in sunlight.
If we do not take good care of our skin then we are at greater risk of
getting skin cancer. Cancer of the skin is the most common, accounting for
nearly half of all cancers. There are three primary types of skin cancer: basal
cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. Basal cell carcinoma is
the most common form of skin cancer.
Basal cell carcinomas usually begin on areas exposed to the sun such as the
head and neck. Basal cell carcinoma is slow growing. It is highly unusual
for a basal cell cancer to spread to distant parts of the body. However, if it
is not treated, it can grow into nearby areas and invade the bone or other
tissues beneath the skin.
Squamous cell carcinomas usually appear on sun-exposed areas of the body such
as the face, ear, neck, lips, and backs of the hands. They can also begin within
scars of skin ulcers elsewhere on the body.
Here are some risk factors for nonmelanoma skin cancer:
- Fair skin: whites have a 20 times higher risk than dark-skinned African
Americans because of the protection offered by darker skin pigmentation.
- Men: men are twice as likely as women to have basal cell cancers and
three times as likely to have squamous cell cancers of the skin.
- Worker exposure: to arsenic, industrial tar, coal, paraffin, and certain
types of oil may also have an increased risk.
- Radiation exposure: people who have had radiation treatment have a
higher risk of developing nonmelanoma skin cancer in the area that received
the treatment.
- Certain long term severe skin problems: scars from severe burns, areas
of skin over severe bone infections and skin damaged by certain severe skin
diseases are more likely to develop nonmelanoma skin cancers.
- Treatment of psoriasis
- Weak immune system
Melanoma skin cancer is much less common than basal cell and squamous cell
skin cancers, and it is almost always curable in its early stages. Melanoma most
often appears on the trunk of fair-skinned men and on the lower legs of
fair-skinned women, but it can appear other places as well. Some risk factors
for melanoma skin cancer are:
- Moles
- Fair skin
- Family history
- Immune suppression
- Too much exposure to ultraviolet radiation
- Age
Here are some ways to spot skin cancer. What you will need is a bright light,
a full- length mirror, a hand-mirror; two chairs or stools; and a blow dryer.
- Examine head and face, using one or both mirrors. Use blow dryer to
inspect scalp.
- Check hands, including nails. In full-length mirror, examine elbows,
arms, under arms.
- Focus on neck, chest, and torso.
- With back of the mirror, use hand mirror to inspect back of neck,
shoulders, upper arms, back, buttocks, legs.
- Sitting down, check legs and feet, including soles, heels, and nails.
Use hand mirror to examine genitals.
- Excessive and unprotected exposure to the sun can result in premature
aging and undesirable changes in skin texture.
Here are some tips on how to protect yourself from the sun’s UV rays:
- Avoid, when possible, outdoor activities during midday, when the sun’s
rays are strongest.
- Apply sunscreen and lip screen to exposed body areas. The higher the SPF
Factor the better the protection.
- Wear loose-fitting clothing made from tightly woven fabric to cover and
protect your skin. A wet t-shirt offers much less protection than a dry one.
- Wear a hat with a brim.
- Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes and reduce the risk of cataracts.
- Seek shade
Enjoy the summer but be cautious of the sun! If you have questions
about healthy habits for your skin, contact
the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, White County, 411
N. Spruce St., Searcy; call 501-268-5394 or 800-467-8166, or e-mail
kcobb@uaex.edu.
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