Skin Cancer Awareness Month: Understanding factors contributing to risk of skin cancer

Guardian Nigeria

Watch Skin Cancer Awareness Month: Understanding factors contributing to risk of skin cancer - Guardian Nigeria on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00 It's the month of May. Join us as we dive into the facts, the risks and prevention strategies

00:06 surrounding one of the most prevalent yet often misunderstood health concerns, skin cancer.

00:12 Today we are joined by Dr. Mohamed Abib and Dr. Olufola Kemeko Adeife who will shed light on

00:19 how to protect yourself and your loved ones from one of the most devastating disease. From simple

00:26 yet effective sun safety practices to understanding the importance of regular skin checks,

00:31 we are here to arm you with the knowledge you need to stay safe. May is World Skin Cancer Awareness

00:38 Month and it is significant as it's a time where for the whole of the month dermatologists try to

00:47 raise or improve awareness about skin cancer and this can promote early detection and also help

00:55 with the prevention of skin cancer. Usually sun is the major cause of irritation to the skin

01:05 that results in skin cancer. And as the world grapples on with the challenge of raising

01:10 awareness about the danger of skin cancer, a surprising number of people remain unaware of

01:16 what skin cancer actually is. Cancer is an abnormal group. This is usually an occurrence of

01:25 abnormal cells in the body and these cells are able to invade the normal surrounding cell around

01:34 them and they are also able to transfer or disseminate to distant sites that they are

01:40 able to spread to other sites of the body. These are cancers. So the one that originates from the

01:46 skin is skin cancer. They are all made up of cells and these cells are programmed to grow

01:53 and stop growing you know when there are enough cells. But in cancer the signal which tries to

02:00 turn off or is meant to turn off the cell, the signal that is meant to prevent the cell from

02:06 continually growing or replicating is not functioning properly. And so you have some

02:12 abnormal or rogue cells that continue to replicate in parts of the body where they are not needed

02:18 and they eventually stab or cut off the nutrients and blood supply to the normal

02:25 you know functioning cells. This can happen in any part of the body including the skin.

02:31 And the skin has different types of cells in it. It has different layers. The skin mainly has three

02:38 layers. The epidermis or the outermost layer, the dermis, the middle layer, the hypodermis or

02:45 subcutaneous layer is the innermost layer. And these layers are made up of different kinds of

02:51 cells and any of the cells in these three layers of the skin can develop cancer. Skin cancer

03:00 in account for more than three million you know new cases. However in this part of the world it's

03:08 not as common as it is for the white people like in New Zealand, in South Africa and some other,

03:15 the Caucasians generally. And the predisposing factor is a lack of melanin. That's the melanin

03:25 that protects us which is the black pigment. It is common in albinos in our own you know terrain

03:32 because the albinos also lack the normal melanin that we have. And apart from ultraviolet exposure

03:39 which has been established as a potential cause of skin cancer, the use of untested organic and

03:45 natural cosmetic ingredients such as aloe vera and other skincare products containing chemicals can

03:52 also endanger the skin's health and these may pose a potential risk of skin cancer. Well,

03:58 generally natural products may be safe but in medicine we only talk based on trials.

04:09 I'm not aware of any trial that involves aloe vera. However, generally natural products you know

04:17 are safe to use. But we can have other agents like tobacco, that's cigarettes. We can have alcohol,

04:26 you know, excessive. All this and then chemical irritants. Chemical irritants like formaldehyde,

04:34 like paraben, these are also chemicals that you know which in association with dye that can cause

04:43 skin cancer. Even infection with human papillomavirus can also cause skin cancer. There

04:50 are concerns also about skin lightening agents because with skin lightening creams and soaps

04:56 and agents you are actually removing or inhibiting the melanin on the skin which is protective. So,

05:04 over a long period of time if people continue to inhibit the melanin on their skin which is

05:11 protective against the UV rays of the sun, there are chances that they may increase their risk of

05:17 developing skin cancer over a long period of time. And this is one of the reasons why skin

05:24 lightening agents are generally not recommended by dermatologists. So, even though the data today

05:32 does not really show a direct link between skin lightening agents and skin cancer, we think that

05:42 in the future because of how common skin lightening has become today, we believe that or we are

05:48 projecting that we may see an increase in skin cancer due to prolonged use of skin lightening

05:54 agent for this reason that I've just explained. And while occasional use of these cosmetic products

06:01 may pose minimal risks, a prolonged and repeated exposure over time may increase the risk nonetheless

06:08 different from person to person. So, the length or the duration of exposure differ from person to

06:16 person. We don't have the same tolerance. So, different people have different tolerance. While

06:25 some can easily be prone to it, others may take longer time before they eventually come down. But

06:34 generally, we know that it's chronic irritation which means something that irritates for a long

06:41 time even including deodorants. They usually work very slowly and they take a long time of

06:48 cumulative effect of exposure to these chemicals. So, it's not a six month, one year situation we

06:57 are talking about. We are talking about a situation of up to five to ten years, you know, and that's

07:05 the same thing for instance with lung cancer and smoking. Prevention they say is better than cure.

07:11 Therefore, it is advised that individuals endeavour to resist being exposed to these chemicals,

07:17 especially through various cosmetic products that are applied directly to the skin.

07:22 What you do is you abstain from the chemicals. Once you've been exposed, you've been exposed,

07:28 so you abstain from it. Immediately, if it is a cream or anything like that or, you know, direct

07:35 exposure, you can wash off the chemical. You can wash it off but then you put in measures

07:44 to prevent further contact. Furthermore, it is imperative for government and medical bodies to

07:50 step up. There is a need to raise awareness about skin cancer and formulate policies that curb the

07:56 use of harmful cosmetic chemicals. I believe that the government needs to have stricter,

08:03 more stringent regulation of the production of cosmetics and also what is called cosmetic

08:10 vigilance. Make sure that they monitor what is on the shelves. Make sure that they monitor people

08:18 selling online because these days almost everything is being sold online and be sure that those who

08:24 are selling things online are properly trained in cosmetic formulation or cosmetic chemistry

08:30 and understand the need for safety and assessment and, you know, the hygienic assessment of their

08:37 products. Dermatologists constantly educate people both online and offline in the clinics,

08:43 on the in the media, in social media about the dangers of using, you know, unregulated or

08:51 unlabeled chemicals on their bodies or using unprocessed things on their skin or their bodies

08:58 because this can come with unwanted effects. Finally, as we commemorate the World Skin Cancer

09:06 Awareness Month, it is essential to take proactive steps to safeguard our skin. We need to educate

09:12 ourselves about the potential risk of cosmetic products and opt for safer alternatives. We can

09:18 reduce our exposure to potential risks to our skin health. Together, let's share awareness and save

09:24 lives. For more interesting content, do visit our official website at Guardian.ng and you can also

09:30 follow us on all our social media platforms at Guardian Nigeria. Khalid Bada, it's my name. Bye for now.

09:37 [Music]

Category

Transcript

Recommended