Beware Of Sunshine
A young man in our community died a few days ago, from skin cancer that had spread to his inner organs. I don't know if the sun had anything to do with his case, but these days, when it's blazing down on us, it does give food for thought.
The ozone layer isn't what it used to be. In this part of the world, where many of us don't see the sun at all for months, clothes have a tendency to come off fast when it finally turns up again. Our light skin is prone to sunburns, and the consensus for generations has been that " a little sunburn never hurt anyone".
How wrong... Skin cancer sounds harmless, really - you just remove it, right, and it's gone. Wrong again, in many cases. The skin is a large organ, and has connections with most other organs in our bodies. Leave a cancerous mole for too long, and you may well be in serious trouble.
Like mesothelioma, that's linked with exposure to asbesthos, skin cancer is (very often) linked to exposure to sunlight. The good news is that this means it's avoidable.
Sunscreen, T-shirts, staying in the shade when at all possible - this can be done. And don't forget the little ones. As well as being painful, that "little sunburn" can prepare the ground for disaster in the future.
Let's all enjoy the sun - carefully.
