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Sunny days add to dermatologists' work: Skin Cancer Awareness Month started in Ukraine
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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With the arrival of spring, the sun pleases us more and more with its warmth. However, the sun's rays can be not only a source of good mood and health. Dermatologists are concerned about the effect of ultraviolet radiation on the skin and the carelessness that people show when they abuse sunbathing.
Since 2009, in most regions of Ukraine, in the spring before the start of the beach season, mass examinations of the population are conducted to detect skin diseases. This year, the state "allocated" a whole month during which Ukrainians will be able to undergo a free examination both in skin and venereal disease dispensaries and in private clinics.
In addition, centers have already been created in Donetsk, Kyiv and Lugansk where Ukrainians can make a complete skin map in a few minutes, which will record dangerous neoplasms and allow them to be examined dynamically. As reported by the chief specialist of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine in the specialty "Dermatovenereology" Alexander Litus, several expert systems have appeared in Ukraine that allow a complete map of a person's skin to be made in 7-8 minutes and to check a thousand moles, which a doctor with a magnifying glass or a dermatoscope physically cannot do.
Indications for undergoing such a procedure are the presence of a large number of moles on the body. Due to the fixed placement of the patient and shooting in 4 positions with high resolution, the system marks all moles on the skin map. In addition, the smart system signals the doctor which of them needs special attention - to do a targeted dermatoscopy. According to European standards, people from the risk group must undergo such a procedure once every six months. In this case, the specialist will be able to observe all moles in dynamics.
According to the World Health Organization, about 48 thousand deaths related to melanoma ( skin cancer ) are registered annually in the world. During 2010, almost 3 thousand new cases of skin cancer were registered in Ukraine, as well as 1070 registered cases of death. On average, the incidence of melanoma in Ukraine is 6.18 cases per 100 thousand of the population.
According to experts, the peak incidence of melanoma in both men and women is in the age group of 65 years and older. Women get sick 1.5 times more often than men. Experts note a significant dependence of skin cancer localization on exposure to UV radiation. Monitoring of patients has shown that every 50 people are at risk of developing melanoma during their lifetime, and every 6 people are at risk of non-melanoma skin cancers.
The proportion of malignant skin neoplasms detected during preventive examinations is 30% of all detected neoplasms.
It is worth noting that the number of sunny days has increased in recent years, and the intensity of solar radiation exceeds all permissible standards. In this regard, it is necessary to form a careful attitude towards neoplasms and moles in the population, and this task falls, in particular, on the shoulders of family doctors.
The problem of severe skin diseases is not related to the lack of treatment methods, but to untimely diagnosis. Therefore, everyone should understand that success in preventing and treating melanoma depends primarily on timely visits to a doctor and diagnosis at the initial stages of the disease.
The patient needs to develop a responsible attitude towards his health, informing about the dangers of excessive exposure to sunlight. For example, not everyone knows that tanning in a solarium can be compared to radiation before visiting the Chernobyl zone. In Europe, it is prohibited by law for anyone under 18 to go to a solarium.
As for sunburn, it is a negative impact on the body and a risk of neoplasms. Modern research shows that each person has a certain dose that he can perceive. Sometimes, being in the sun while tanning on the beach, a person exceeds the permissible dose by 5-6 times.
In addition, children should be very careful about tanning. After all, children develop melanin as a system of protection against ultraviolet radiation only over time. Up to one year, there is very little of it, and only up to three years can the skin protect itself, so it is very important to protect children from ultraviolet radiation.
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