Dr. Ciara Kelly: Have fun in the sun, but protect yourself



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All of this sounds good, but not wanting to overemphasize the debates, there is an important difference between how we spend our holidays abroad and how we spend our holidays at home. When we reach the beaches of the Costa del Sol, the Algarve or the Canaries, we know that the sun is strong. We realize that we will be burned and most people – apart from a few crazy yokes who do not see any drawback to turning the delicious color of a bleeding steak and feeling a burning pain on their holliers – wear sunscreen. However, this is not the case when we are on vacation here. Maybe that is what is rare is wonderful, so we are eager to enjoy all the rays of sun that come to us when we are at home – but much less of us are wearing a screen Adequate solar on sunny days in Ireland as well as abroad. real problem for our skin.

The thing is I know we will go long for a gorgeous olive skin that will tan beautifully but the truth is that we have very pale skin – often with freckles – so we burn, and we burn very easily . And sunburn is, of course, the leading risk factor for skin cancer. We want to believe that we are a little Latin, whereas in fact we are more like Tintin, and rather Milou with complexion. The startling truth is that we have more sunburns at home than at home. This is clearly not because it is sunnier here than at home – that 's because we do not take the Irish sun seriously.

Some 40,000 of us will have cancer here in Ireland over the next year and the most common cancer we will get is skin cancer. We have, in fact, one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world despite our sunshine and our 362 days of rain. And a lot of that is due to temerity and lack of sunscreen.

When I was young, the sunscreen was hardly something we had even heard of and when we were first introduced, we used ridiculously low factors like two, four or six – "To have a base". All of these early episodes of sunburn have left us with a significant risk of developing skin cancers now that we are aging and may well come back to haunt us.

We realize now, I hope, that Irish skin is by no means compatible with low sun protection, and wearing a suitable sunscreen with a factor of 30 or more is the best way to protect your skin from sunburn. But the truth is that even getting a tan without any burn means that your skin is exposed to harmful rays and you are at increased risk.

For a summer like this, while many people are considering staying home because we seem to have a decent time, I'm afraid we would observe an even bigger peak than usual in the skin cancer. Many skin cancers are relatively benign but some, like malignant melanoma, can unfortunately be fatal.

This summer, whether you are at home or abroad, it is essential that you slap on sunscreen. Make sure it's the 30 or more factor to protect you from widespread skin cancer. The shoulders, the tips of the ears, the nose and the tips of bald heads are particularly vulnerable. So, if you are a little thin, also wear a hat.

Unfortunately, I have seen several cases of retinal melanoma in recent years – a cancer that you really do not want to have. So, a good UV protection in your sunscreen and your sunglasses is really important.

Covering yourself properly will protect you from skin cancer – even if you are at home claiming that you are abroad, please take the necessary precautions.

Ciara presents' Lunchtime Live & # 39; on Newstalk, weekdays 12-2

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