This summer, Top Santé is a partner of France Inter. The “Carnet de Santé” podcasts can be listened to on the Radio France website.
Isn’t the sun supposed to be good for us and our bodies?
Indeed, everyone knows that the sun has a beneficial effect on morale, that it promotes the secretion of endorphins (the famous hormones of well-being), and that it is a great source of vitamin D essential for the preservation of our bone capital.
Super you will say to me: yes but no, because the sun received in too large quantities will do you more harm than good. Especially since a quarter of an hour of daily exposure is more than enough for you to fill up with vitamin D, that in the event of a deficiency fatty fish or eggs are rich in it, and that morale has nothing to do with it. do with the amount of UV you receive…
So how is the sun our enemy?
The UV precisely… which we will divide here into 2 categories with on one side
UV B which can burn the skin (this is sunburn),
and on the other, UV A, which is responsible for premature aging of the skin.
Knowing that in both cases they can damage DNA and in some cases lead to skin cancer.
Is it true that we have a “solar capital”?
Eh yes ! we all have a solar capital, in other words a limited exposure time to the sun. A sort of “permit to points” of the epidermis that we must save because once this capital is exhausted, our skin can no longer defend itself properly, which exposes us more to the risk of skin cancer.
And the idea that a high number of sunburns during childhood contributes to an increased risk of skin cancer is unfortunately totally justified…
Indeed, 5 sunburns caught before the age of 15 would increase the chances of developing melanoma by 80%.
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A melanoma precisely, what is it?
Melanoma is a disease of skin cells called melanocytes. It develops from an initially normal cell which transforms and multiplies in an anarchic way to form a lesion called a malignant tumor, and give rise to skin cancer.
Knowing that there are 3 major risk factors which are:
– First of all the type of skin. Spoiler alert: people with very fair skin, blond hair, and blue eyes are much more at risk.
– Then comes genetics and family history,
– and finally UV exposure, which remains the main cause of skin cancer cases today.
And how to recognize a melanoma?
It’s easy for you to know your alphabet, and even the first 5 letters, with the ABCDE method.
• A for asymmetry,
• B as irregular edges,
• C as inhomogeneous color,
• D as Diameter greater than 6 millimeters,
• E for Evolution of the lesion which is the most important criterion because it includes the first 4.
And above all, we consult once a year a perfectly literate dermatologist who will take care of doing this very well.
In the meantime, what if you want to get a nice tanned complexion despite everything?
Well we avoid exposing ourselves between noon and 4 p.m., we don’t forget to brush well with cream (minimum index 30) every 2 hours and after each splash in the sea or the swimming pool, and above all we think of preserving its solar capital.
