PREVENTING SKIN CANCER: SUNSCREEN YES, CAROTENOIDS, NO!

The skin cancers are preventable.Although the effectiveness of sunscreens remains controversial, because they grow to prolonged exposure, an Australian study shows that their daily application delays the onset of skin lesions. In contrast, supplementation with beta-carotene, an antioxidant, has no protective effect.

It is possible to prevent skin cancer. But the use of sunscreen is still a matter of debate. Indeed, the results of currently available studies are conflicting. Why? Obviously sunscreens tend to encourage users to expose themselves more to the sun because they think they are well protected. In these conditions, the effectiveness of filtering out ultraviolet light cream does not obvious.

Legitimately, with a predominantly Caucasian population constantly exposed to the scorching sun, the Australian scientists have studied for many years about sun damage. In this case, 1,621 adults aged 25 to 74 years were recruited. Divided into four groups, some were absolutely apply a sunscreen daily, others at their convenience, while some had to consume supplements beta-catotène (30mg/day) or / 18/placebo * / * /. Beta -carotene , which is part of the carotenoid family, is an antioxidant that fights against the proliferation of free radicals generated during such excess sun exposure.Therefore, the "solar capsules" found on the market are generally composed of carotenoids, vitamin E and selenium, three types of antioxidant molecules.

At baseline, then two and four years later, the number of actinic keratoses were evaluated. These lesions are a major predictor of later development of skin cancers , especially basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, the most dangerous skin tumors.

Overall, the authors find that the daily application of sunscreen delaying the appearance of new skin lesions , especially during the first two years. More precisely, the number of actinic keratoses increased by 57% in the group of subjects using sunscreen at their convenience, as against 20% among those who had the obligation to apply every day. Prevention by researchers calculated relative is 24% . But we must bear in mind that in a subtropical environment, sunscreens can not completely prevent the lesions. However, compared with placebo, supplementation with beta carotene had no effect on the amount of new lesions.

It is imperative to protect themselves from the sun to avoid including skin cancer. The main rules to follow are simple:

• no exposure;
• wear T-shirt, sunglasses and a hat;
• no exposure to the hottest hours of the day (between 12 and 14 hours);
• apply a screen protector adapted to phototype, repeated every two hours;
• and finally, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables in order to have a good supply of natural antioxidants.

17; avoid including skin cancer. The main rules to follow are simple: