Study of skin cancer in young people

Due to its prevalence and long-term consequences, skin cancer is a disease of great concern to healthcare professionals, public health agencies and society at large. This concern is even more relevant in young people as they are more exposed to the sun due to active outdoor lifestyles and sunburn, which increases their risk of developing this disease. Except, Young people often underestimate the risks associated with sun exposure. and are less likely to take appropriate preventative measures.

This has just been discovered in the SAFE (Sunscreen Family Experience Evaluation) study, prepared by Pierre Fabre and Eau Thermale Avène and involving more than 50,000 people aged 16 to 54 from 20 countries, including Spain. According to their findings, Only 21 percent of young people consider sun protection a priority to avoid skin cancer.although 40 percent admit they are concerned they may suffer from it.

In fact, 52 percent of young people say they use protection to avoid sunburn, and 40 percent say they use protection to stop accelerated skin aging. However, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), sun protection helps prevent skin cancer, one of the three most common tumors among young Europeans.

Likewise, the work showed that Only 59 percent of adults protect children from the sun and less than 25 percent reapply sunscreen every two hours. The main reasons for not reapplying sunscreen every two hours, as advised by dermatologists and official organizations, are due to laziness in applying it or the cost of sunscreen.

These figures may become even more alarming when we consider that 50 to 80 percent of total sun exposure occurs during early childhood and that Excessive sun exposure is one of the main causes of several different types of skin cancer. that exist, including melanoma. “Sunburn in childhood is one of the main risk factors for developing skin cancer such as melanoma,” warned Pierre Fabre’s medical consultant for Dermocosmética Alba Crespo.

However, according to data from Spain, 74 percent of children and 79 percent of adults are exposed to the sun during the hours of highest radiation, from 11:00 to 17:00; and 57 percent use leftover sunscreen from the last year, even though it may have lost its effectiveness.

Moreover, the work showed that 70 percent of adults apply sunscreen to their children every time they go outside, regardless of the weather; and only 29 percent wear it during the hours when sun exposure is most intense and therefore most harmful.

“The public’s knowledge has increased in recent years, but there is still much to be improved and covered. It is the responsibility of all of us, healthcare professionals and the pharmaceutical industry, to provide the public with the best information and products so that they understand the importance of adequate protection from solar radiation,” added Crespo.