The 24th edition of the National Skin Cancer Prevention and Screening Week is being held from May 20 to 24. According to Inca, the National Cancer Institute, 80,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in France each year (2/3 of which are due to excessive exposure to sunlight and UV radiation).
In Reunion, the department is particularly exposed, the UV index is especially strong there, twice as aggressive as in France. For example, in summer on the Côte d’Azur, the UV indices can reach 6 or 7. On our island, these indices correspond to the southern winter. In summer, they regularly exceed 14.
To protect yourself
The sun’s rays are particularly dangerous if safety measures are not taken. To reduce the risk of developing skin cancer, it is recommended to protect yourself from ultraviolet (UV) rays. First of all, it is necessary to avoid exposing yourself to the sun’s rays between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., when they are most intense.
Covering your arms and legs, wearing protective sunglasses protecting once morest UV rays is also necessary, as is applying sunscreen with an appropriate protection index to your skin.
Diagnosed in time, this cancer is curable
The numbers of cases have been steadily increasing for 50 years. There is therefore 5 times more skin cancer in Reunion than 10 years ago. But detected and diagnosed in time, this cancer is curable, at the stage where it is superficial. It is therefore important to educate, empower and inform as many individuals as possible, in order to hope to observe an evolution of the cases detected in time.
