The image that went viral and posted on Twitter by an American dermatologist raises the importance of using sunscreen all over the body to prevent skin aging and cancer
Sunbathing on the beach is an essential pleasure for many, but not protecting the skin from UV rays can have serious consequences
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Sun protection
inadequate or even absent can increase the risk of skin cancer, discoloration of the epidermis or cause age spots and wrinkles. The concept is known so much that before the summer holidays practically everyone buys sun creams with a high protective factor, suitable for prolonged exposure to the sun (here how to choose them). But are we doing enough? An image shared on twitter by Avi Bittermana New York dermatologist who went viral, surprising users who came across the photo.
Cheek and neck of a 92-year-old female, who used UV-protective moisturizers on her face but not on the neck for 40+ years.https://t.co/Q8wWxY2tDE pic.twitter.com/FBSswmYxt1
— Avi Bitterman, MD (@AviBittMD) September 2, 2022
Neck and cheek
The close-up image shows the neck and right cheek of a 92-year-old woman who has been using sunscreen moisturizers on her face for more than 40 years. but not on the neck. The photo illustrates a case study described by Christian Posch for the Department of Dermatology and Allergy at the University of Munich, Germany and published in 2021. The research investigated the link between UV exposure, cancer development and aging. Clinical examination revealed a noticeable difference in sun damage between the cheek and neck. The picture speaks more than many words and absolutely evident where the woman used sunscreen habitually and where she did notor. The photo highlights that the most effective measure to prevent a number of skin cancers and skin aging is sunscreen, commented Posh, who admitted that sunscreen alone is not enough.age is the major risk factor for skin cancer.
The image struck twitter users: many admitted that they had always protected the skin of the face, never that of the neck, and that they started doing it right after seeing the shocking image.
The previous
The photo just published is very reminiscent of another case study published in the New England Journal of Medicine which showed the image of a 69-year-old man who had been a truck driver for 28: the left side of the face looks much older, demonstrating that UVA rays could pass, at least once, through car windows. The examination of the skin shows that the now retired truck driver was suffering from dermatoheliosis, or premature aging of the skin caused by chronic exposure to grape rays, which cause the skin to thicken and wrinkle and to destroy the elastic fibers.
Skin tumors
On average every year at least 80 thousand people receive a diagnosis of skin cancer in Italy, of which almost 14 thousand are melanomas. Fortunately, the cure rates are high: 90% of patients live 5 years after the discovery of the disease. Ultraviolet rays are divided into UVC, UVB and UVA. UVCs do not reach the earth’s surface, UVBs are more energetic than UVA and therefore more capable of causing mutations in the DNA in skin cells than the latter (UVBs are also responsible for sunburn). While for UVB rays they are filtered by the ozonosphere, UVA are retained much less by this barrier and reach deeper into the skin (up to the so-called dermis) and also filter through the window. They are therefore responsible for damage to the collagen and elastic fibers of the skin. This is why they are the main culprits of skin aging. Furthermore, although less energetic than UVB, UVAs are now believed to be implicated in the genesis of some skin cancers, including melanoma.
September 7, 2022 (change September 7, 2022 | 09:29)
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