What people don't understand about the sun

A hat, sunglasses, long sleeves, full screen for excess skin, stay in the shade, and even indoors from noon to 4 p.m.

This is how we think we protect ourselves from SKIN CANCER.

But this program will not only spoil the fun of summer and vacation. It is also bad for health.

You should know the following.

Know the real risk of dying from skin cancer

There is a lot of talk about skin cancer because its frequency has doubled every 10 years since 1945.

It sounds huge, but, at the same time:

out of 60 million French people, 1,672 people died in 2012 from skin cancer.

That is 1,612 people too many. But that's compared to the 150,000 who die from other types of cancer; and also the 130,000 who die from heart disease.

Why is it important to make a comparison?

One does not prevent the other you say. But, precisely, if: because going out into the fresh air and sunbathing is an essential means of reducing your heart risk and preventing other types of cancer.

I will tell you more about it later, but here is a quick example. We know that stress, physical inactivity, overweight, alcohol, and tobacco are major causes of heart disease and cancer. So :

if you are stressed due to skin cancer;
if you give up outdoor activity to avoid it, or,
even worse, if you stay at home and it makes you want to eat junk food to pass the time, have a drink or smoke a cigarette while waiting for the time arrives when you can again go out in the sun in complete security…

You are making a VERY VERY BAD CHOICE !!!!

It is much more important for you to REDUCE YOUR CARDIAC RISK and your cancer risk FOR ALL CATEGORIES than to focus on preventing skin cancer.

Most skin "cancers" are not dangerous

Skin cancer, like all cancers, must be taken very seriously. This means that it is important to consult a doctor when you observe a strange spot or lump on your skin and in particular a non-healing wound, a persistent or changing appearance of a pimple or crust.

However, out of the 80,000 to 90,000 new cases of skin cancer diagnosed each year in France, 85% concern carcinomas, not melanomas.

This distinction is crucial. Because carcinomas ARE CURE. Most are not even dangerous at all. They are called "basal cell carcinomas".

Basal cell carcinomas

80% of carcinomas, called basal cell carcinomas, cannot kill.

This type of carcinoma usually develops on a surface of the skin exposed to the sun such as the wings of the nose, the eyelids, or the neck, generally in the elderly (over 75 years).

The first sign is often a small red, pink or pearly, dome-shaped dot that appears on previously normal skin. It evolves very slowly and NEVER produces metastases. It doesn't kill, it's that simple. On the other hand, if left untreated, it will continue to develop locally and can cause damage to neighboring structures. For example, basal cell carcinoma on the face can erode and damage the nose or ear.

Any suspicious skin lesion or lump must, therefore, be SEEN BY A PHYSICIAN.

But you can read in full on the website of the National Cancer Institute (INCa), about basal cell carcinomas, so the vast majority of skin cancers, that it:

"Just remove them surgically to ensure healing" because "they evolve slowly and do not cause distant lesions (metastases).”

This statement is exaggerated, and perhaps even intended to please cosmetic surgeons. Because of the cancer is misplaced, the surgeon may leave an ugly scar. According to a cancer specialist whom I questioned especially on this question, “the ideal to cure is contact radiotherapy, with one to three sessions of electrotherapy; healing is obtained without a scar. "

Surgical treatment can almost always be performed in an outpatient setting in the doctor's office or in a clinic. Local anesthesia will be used for most procedures. The pain and discomfort are usually minimal and the patient rarely suffers afterward.

I told you that these carcinomas represent 80% of the cases. The remaining 20% are more aggressive, and called “squamous cell carcinomas”:

Squamous cell carcinomas (or squamous cell carcinomas)

20% of carcinomas are squamous cell carcinomas (also called squamous cell carcinomas): this type of carcinoma usually develops on the face - most often on or around the ears or lips. However, any area of the skin can be affected.

It usually starts out as a small crust or scaly area with a red or pink base. It can develop into a tumor that can look like a wart. Squamous cell carcinoma can form a suppurative sore (ulcer) or bleed periodically. It must then be treated, otherwise it can spread to the underlying tissues and disfigure the patient.

But don't panic. Also according to the National Cancer Institute:

“Squamous cell carcinomas are rarer and can metastasize. They are however easily curable in most cases thanks to early detection allowing surgical treatment.”

But then again, according to a famous oncologist, "non-aggressive, well-targeted radiotherapy can heal without leaving a scar, no more than a slightly depigmented area of skin. "

That's why it's worth going to the doctor if you see something weird on your skin.

The treatment, as for basal cell carcinoma, will be done with simple local anesthesia, without long-term pain.

So if you exercise a little caution and common sense, you won't die from carcinoma.

The third category of skin cancer is the rarest, and it is it that is formidable: it is melanoma.

Melanoma

The most feared skin cancer is melanoma. He's the real dirty kid in the skin cancer family.

Melanomas are cancers of the cells that make the pigments that make people tan and are called "melanocytes". Melanocyte means "cell producing black". (from "means", black, and "cyte", cell in Greek).

It generally appears on a perfectly healthy skin surface and develops gradually in the form of a small pigmented spot, around 15 to 20% of cases from a simple mole.

There are 11,000 cases of melanoma in France each year. Most, detected early, heal thanks to a surgical operation that allows the lesion to be removed under anesthesia.

However, a minority of melanomas (around 15%) are detected too late, when they have already metastasized that even chemotherapy can no longer treat. The consequence is then the death of the patient.

The real role of the sun in melanoma

As with all serious illnesses, there are multiple factors that interact to disturb the immune system and cause cancer: diet, toxins, stress, poor sleep, etc.

There are also environmental factors and, among these, there is no doubt that sunburn is a recognized cause of melanoma, especially in children who are repeatedly exposed and have no skin had time to prepare.

However, the medical journal The Lancet also published vital information in 2004 but was never taken up in the mainstream media or by the health authorities, perhaps for fear of blurring the message for the public, which is still considered a bit simplistic.

And this crucial information is that melanoma, unlike carcinomas, is RARE in people regularly exposed to the sun!

Let me repeat this because it is very important and it should be clear: yes, the sun causes melanoma when you take too much at once and you are not used to it. However, regular exposure to the sun, without excess, REDUCES THE RISK OF MELANOMA.

People who work in offices have more melanomas than people who work outside.

It should also be noted that melanoma does not necessarily appear on the areas of the skin exposed to the sun.

The British Medical Journal confirmed this information, explaining that the sun factor, indisputable for carcinomas, HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A MAJOR CAUSE OF MELANOMA.

Sun can cut your risk of dying in half

More than 200 epidemiological studies have confirmed the link between the lack of vitamin D and the risk of cancer.

According to a study by international vitamin D expert Dr. William Grant, 30% of cancer deaths could be prevented by better vitamin D intakes, which would represent 2 million lives saved each year worldwide.

According to Dr. Cédric Garland, of the School of Medicine at the University of California in San Diego (United States), a specialist in vitamin D that he has studied for 30 years, 600,000 cases of breast cancer and cancer colorectal could be avoided worldwide each year by better vitamin D intakes

Optimizing your vitamin D level could help prevent 16 types of cancer, the most dangerous of which, pancreatic cancer and lung cancer.

A large randomized, placebo-controlled study has found that vitamin D, combined with calcium, can decrease the overall risk of cancer by up to 60% in women after menopause.

Women with fair skin who get a lot of sun over the long term have less risk of developing invasive breast cancer, which extends beyond the breast, according to a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

As you know, the sun is your best source of vitamin D. You can safely manufacture 20,000 IU of vitamin D per day, by exposing yourself widely (two-thirds of the surface of your skin), for example, 3 sessions 20 minutes.

20,000 IU is huge. This is a hundred times more than the 200 IU set as the daily dose recommended by the authorities in Europe. And in no case do you risk overdosing because your body naturally regulates your production of vitamin D under the effect of the sun so that it never reaches a dangerous level.

But the good news about the sun does not stop there.

Researchers recently discovered another benefit of the sun: when you are in the sun, your blood nitric oxide levels go up. This results in a decrease in your blood pressure.

According to Richard Weller, a dermatology researcher who has studied the health effects of the sun, the sun could, therefore, be an effective way to fight hypertension.

Of course, all these beneficial effects of the sun will not take place if you spread your sunscreen.

What you need is to expose yourself for up to 20 minutes when the sun is high in the sky.

To prepare your skin, you can take a dietary supplement of astaxanthin, a protective red antioxidant, algae extract.

In case of sunburn, apply an aloe vera cream on your skin.

Above all, take advantage of the warm weather to fill up on vitamin D and nitric oxide. Note that, without anyone really knowing why, the sun has a pain-relieving effect and greatly improves morale.

So rejoice when the sun is shining and a big blue sky stretches over your head. If you see a sore or progressively sore or lump on your skin, of course, go to the doctor. But above all, no paranoia: by taking advantage of the sunny weather, you will reduce your risk of all diseases combined (especially cancer and heart disease, but also osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, and depression), much more than you will increase your risk of dying from skin cancer.

This remains true as long as you avoid sunburn and burns.

Cheers!