Sunny days add work to dermatologists: the Month of struggle against skin cancer started in Ukraine
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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With the onset of spring, the sun makes us more happy with its warmth. However, the sun's rays can not only be a source of good mood and health. Dermatologists are concerned about the effect that the ultraviolet skin has on the skin, and the carelessness people display when they abuse sunbathing.
Since 2009, in most regions of Ukraine in the spring before the start of the beach season, mass surveys 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 of charge examination both at the dermatovenerologic dispensaries and in private clinics.
In addition, centers have already been established in Donetsk, Kiev and Lugansk, where Ukrainians can make a complete map of the skin in a few minutes, which will record dangerous tumors and allow them to be examined in dynamics. According to the chief specialist of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine on the specialty "Dermatovenereology" Alexander Litus, in Ukraine there were several expert systems that allow for 7-8 minutes to make a complete map of the human skin and check a thousand moles, which the doctor with a magnifying glass or a dermatoscope can not physically do.
Indications for the passage of such a procedure - the presence on the body of a large number of moles. Due to the patient's fixed placement and shooting in 4 positions with higher resolution, the system on the skin map indicates all birthmarks. In addition, the smart system signals to the doctor which of them should be given special attention - to do sighting dermatoscopy. By European standards, people at risk should undergo such a procedure every six months. In this case, the specialist will be able to observe all the birthmarks in the dynamics.
According to the World Health Organization, about 48,000 deaths related to melanoma ( skin cancer ) are recorded each year in the world . During 2010, almost 3 thousand new cases of skin cancer were registered in Ukraine, as well as 1,070 reported deaths. On average, the incidence of melanoma in Ukraine is 6.18 cases per 100,000 people.
According to experts, the peak incidence of melanoma, both in men and women, falls on the age group of 65 years. At the same time, women suffer 1.5 times more often than men. Specialists note a significant dependence of the localization of skin cancer from exposure to UV radiation. Monitoring of patients showed that every 50 people are at risk of developing melanoma during life, every 6 people are under the spotlight of non-melanoma skin cancers.
The proportion of malignant skin lesions detected during preventive examinations is 30% of all detected neoplasms.
It is worth noting that the number of sunny days in recent years has increased, 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 lies, in particular, on the shoulders of family doctors.
The problem of the occurrence of severe skin diseases is associated not with the absence of treatment methods, but with untimely diagnosis. Therefore, everyone should understand that success in the prevention and treatment of melanoma depends first of all on the timely contact with a doctor and the diagnosis at the initial stages of the disease.
The patient needs to form a responsible attitude to his health, informing about the danger of excessive exposure to sunlight. So, for example, not everyone knows that sunburn in a solarium can be compared with irradiation before visiting the Chernobyl zone. In Europe, at the legislative level, it is forbidden for everyone under the age of 18 to go to a solarium.
As for sunburn, it is - a negative impact on the body and the risk of tumors. Modern research shows that for each person there is a certain dose that he can perceive. Sometimes, being in the sun during sunbathing on the beach, a person exceeds by 5 - 6 times the permissible dose.
In addition, very carefully it is necessary to treat sunburn in children. After all, the children of melanin formation, as a system of protection from ultraviolet, occur only with time. Until a year there is very little of it, and only up to three years the skin can be protected, so it is very important to protect children from ultraviolet radiation.
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