Check out the NHS website for more tips on sun safety. Tanning beds also send out harmful UV rays and a single session can increase your risk of skin cancer. The WHO puts them in the same category — carcinogenic to humans — as cigarette smoking. UVB rays — B as in burn — hit the top layer of your skin and cause the typical symptoms of sunburn.
They damage DNA and kickstart an inflammatory response, leading to swelling, redness, heat and pain in the affected area. Some of the cells in your skin will also start producing melanin to protect the skin, resulting in a tan. But any form of tan means that DNA in your skin cells has been damaged, so unfortunately there is no safe amount of tanning.
For melanoma skin cancer, any change to your skin can be a concern and people are advised to regularly check their entire body for new or changed moles.
The commonly used guidelines include looking for the ABCD signs:. The more common non-melanoma skin cancer is not connected to moles and is often less dangerous than melanoma. Nevertheless, people should look out for non-melanoma skin cancer signs:. To find out more about the symptoms and how to spot skin cancer, go to the NHS website. Skin cancers are usually diagnosed by taking a biopsy tissue sample from the suspected area.
In the case of melanoma, the doctor might also check if there has been any spread to the lymph nodes. Treatment for both non-melanoma and melanoma skin cancer mainly consists of surgery. Surgery is usually curative for non-melanoma skin cancer and can be successful in melanoma skin cancer if found early enough. In the case of advanced melanoma skin cancer, additional treatment might be given, including drugs that target specific genetic changes. If you suspect you might have skin cancer or have found any changes to your skin, please contact your GP as soon as possible to get it checked out.
Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. Anyone can be at risk of developing skin cancer, though the risk increases as you get older. In Australia, 1 in 8 adults and 1 in 5 teenagers are sunburnt on an average summer weekend. Many people get sunburnt when they are taking part in water sports and activities at the beach or a pool, as well as gardening or having a barbeque.
Sunburn is also common on cooler or overcast days, as many people mistakenly believe UV radiation is not as strong. This is untrue - you can still be sunburnt when the temperature is cool. Sun exposure that doesn't result in burning can still cause damage to skin cells and increase your risk of developing skin cancer. Evidence suggests that regular exposure to UV radiation year after year can also lead to skin cancer. A tan is not a sign of good health or well being, despite many Australians referring to a "healthy tan".
Almost half of Australian adults still hold the misguided belief that a tan looks healthy. Tanning is a sign that you have been exposed to enough UV radiation from the sun or solarium to damage your skin. This will eventually cause loss of elasticity wrinkles , sagging, yellowish discolouration and even brown patches to appear on your skin.
Worst of all, it increases your risk of skin cancer. The efforts of research in skin cancer may help to increase overall awareness of the harmful effects of UV exposure and result in better methods of skin cancer prevention and treatment. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U.
Journal List J Biomed Biotechnol v. J Biomed Biotechnol. Honnavara N Ananthaswamy 1. Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Corresponding author. Honnavara N Ananthaswamy: ude. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Articles from Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology are provided here courtesy of Hindawi Limited.
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