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Do I have to protect myself from the sun's rays?
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
Every time you go outside in the summer heat, be sure to wear a light Panama hat or hat. And the areas of the body that are not covered by clothing must be well treated with sunscreen.
Doctors assure that sunburns are especially dangerous for young people. Even a single but strong exposure to ultraviolet radiation can cause the development of skin cancer: not immediately, but after 10-20 years.
Americans have a well-known slogan about skin protection in hot weather. It sounds like "slip-slop-slap" - "shirt, hat and cream". Americans believe that only in this form can you enjoy walks in the summer. By the way, this phrase was invented in Australia about thirty years ago: it was first used for preventive education of the population about skin cancer.
Professor Martin Weinstock, who specializes in dermatoepidemiology at Brown University, warns that even a single sunburn in childhood or adolescence can damage cellular DNA and lead to melanoma, albeit decades later.
"If such a risk exists after a single burn, then what can we say about cases where a person "burns" regularly: the danger increases many times over. And even in the absence of obvious burns, ultraviolet rays are gradually capable of causing mutations. And the result of such mutations is still the same," explains Dr. Weinstock.
Ultraviolet rays are especially dangerous for children and teenagers, although there is nothing useful in the influence of carcinogens for adults either. Representatives of the American Association for the Study of Cancer Tumors have proven that the earlier a person received an ultraviolet burn (for example, in childhood), the greater the risk of cancer in adulthood. According to statistics, women who had sunburns at the age of 15 to 20 years, skin melanoma occurs 80% more often.
“This pattern occurs because a person who is irradiated at an early age has more time for cellular damage directly associated with cancer processes and other problems to fully manifest itself,” the scientist explains.
Therefore, parents should be given one piece of advice: it is imperative to protect children from sunburn.
"Summer and the scorching sun should definitely be associated with the use of sunscreen with an SPF 30+ filter and well-covering clothing. Moreover, the cream should be applied after returning from a walk or after swimming," the specialist recommends.
It should also be remembered that a place to rest is optimal only if it is equipped with an umbrella or a canopy. Even a tree will do as a shelter from the sun.
In addition, it is necessary to explain to children the dangers of solariums. In many countries, this procedure is prohibited for persons under 18 years of age.
The information is described on the website medbe.ru (http://medbe.ru/news/novosti-v-onkologii/opasnost-solnechnykh-luchey-i-ozhogov-kak-zashchititsya-ot-raka-kozhi/).
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