During the summer, and almost without realizing it, we spent many hours of sun exposure. Although when we go to the beach or the pool we are more aware and protect our skin, caution should be extreme during the months of intense heat at any time of day.
And the data does not stop being worrisome: in 2013, the Marina Health Hospital treated a total of 110 patients with melanoma or malignant skin tumors. In addition, the figures speak of the fact that the Marina Alta It is one of the regions of the Valencian Community in which the greatest number of cases are treated by the percentage of foreign population, with very light skin and eyes.
Therefore, the Dénia Department of Health has launched a campaign to prevent skin lesions that may develop into melanomas. Head of Oncology Marina Health, Dr. Joan Manel Gasent offers some essential tips to avoid malignant lesions:
How to identify melanoma
The rapid growth of a skin lesion, the change of color or the irregularity of the margins that define it are key changes to be able to detect a melanoma. Dr Gasent also advises that we check each other's skin every six months.
When in doubt, consult your doctor
According to experts, the vast majority of melanomas are reviewed, are in early stages and are easily curable.
Know your skin
Says Dr Gasten "We must always prevent the skin from getting burned. So it is essential to know what type of skin we have, since not all skins are the same: there are people who always burn and never take a color. These people should have it's almost forbidden to go to the beach, although that's impossible living here. They have to know that they need more protection. "
Caution with light skins
Most of the population of the region is light-skinned. "If they do not take care of the skin from the beginning, when they are older they suffer keratosis, cutaneous carcinomas or risk of melanoma, even ocular, in people with light eyes. There are people of 40-50 years of age who did not have that awareness and today we see the consequences of bad habit of sun exposure "He explains the head of oncology.
Educate and raise awareness from childhood
It is very important to educate both parents and the children of the importance of caring for and protecting the skin since we are small by applying sunscreen, dosing sun exposure and wearing protective shirts.
To plant more trees on walks and sidewalks would have more shade and not be so exposed to the sun, people would more and would be happy to go for a walk even in the middle of the day because we would always have a shadow.
It seems incredible that in the northern European countries that seek the sun, there are more trees than here, that we always seek shade in hot months ... I mean, almost all year round.