| · Skin cancer
· Independent prescribing
· The profession
· Supervision
· Safety of medicines
· Drug interactions
· Pricing
· Titles
Letters to the Editor
|
Skin cancer
Sunbathing in the middle of the day is dangerous
From Mr P. Lapsley
I write to express my concern about the debate featured in the PJ (12
November, p613, and 19 November, p633) surrounding the Sunsmart campaign.
The Skin Care Campaign has been actively involved with Cancer Research
UK in the development of the Sunsmart campaign, as it offers a valuable
opportunity to educate the public about the potential harm of excess sunlight
exposure. The Sunsmart campaign has never advocated sun avoidance but simply
recommends sensible precautions, especially between 11am and 3pm. With
the rising incidence of malignant melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers
and their precursors, including actinic keratoses, and basal and squamous
cell carcinomas, a campaign of this sort has never been more important.
In the Caucasian population, the argument that vitamin D deficiency is
a reason to promote sunbathing and sun exposure during the middle of the
day, when ultraviolet light is most powerful and damaging, is flawed. At
worst, it might be dangerous if it hinders the public’s currently
improving awareness of the need for sun sense and protection from excessive
UV exposure.
Pharmacists have a valuable, central role to play in advising people about
sensible sun exposure. It would be most unfortunate if their messages were
to be diluted by a small body of evidence around vitamin D deficiency,
in the presence of overwhelming data about the potential adverse effects
of over exposure to the sun.
Peter Lapsley
Chief Executive
Skin Care Campaign
|
The
Pharmaceutical Journal