Westerners in the UAE not heeding sun-safe advice
ABU DHABI – Western expatriates are choosing vanity over their health by avoiding sun-safe practices in the pursuit of a tan, skin cancer experts have said.
Unlike some nationalities, who go to great lengths to protect themselves from potentially dangerous rays, westerners in the UAE are not only avoiding using sun protection factors (SPF) but are instead reaching for tanning oils.
“Some nationalities – Asian, Japanese and Filipino – protect themselves more because they are more aware and they perceive white skin as more attractive,” said Dr Zbigniew Ruszczak, head of dermatology at Al Noor Hospital’s Airport Road branch in Abu Dhabi.
“The western world is putting itself in danger because they mostly like to be tanned and look good. It is associated with beauty.”
This is especially true with the younger generation, said Dr Ruszczak, who is calling for a nationwide skin cancer screening programme and educational campaigns to highlight the dangers of not following safe sun practices.
“They love to be brown. They want to look nice now – but what happens in 20 years? This is the habit we need to change,” he said.
It means some western expatriates are developing precancerous cells, or skin cancer, as young as in their mid-30s, said Dr Ruszczak, while talking about cases he has seen in Abu Dhabi.
This is young compared with Europe or the US, he said.
“We have some people who are not doing anything for skin protection. Many of the western population is using tanning enhancements [instead], which is not healthy.”
Dr Ruszczak recommends using SPF50, avoiding the sun at its peak and staying in the shade.
The younger you start applying safe sun practices, the better, he said.
“Sunburn in childhood is one of the predictive factors for the development of skin cancer in older age,” he said, advising that more education and awareness was needed.
“We do not have a campaign here that is talking about the dangers of the sun and we are not having prevention measures at all.”
A skin cancer screening programme would be of benefit, he said.
When treated early, before it spreads, most skin cancers can be cured. Even melanoma, a type of skin cancer that can spread quickly, is curable when treated early.
Dr Burcu Hurbas, head of dermatology at the American Academy and Cosmetic Surgery Hospital at Dubai Healthcare City, agrees cultural habits to sun exposure are putting western expatriates at risk.
“In some countries in western Europe and the United States, the concept of beauty is bronzed, tanned skin,” he said.
“In others it is fair, light skin. Therefore, sun-protection habits are formed upon that.”
The immediate danger of too much sun is sunburn, he said.
“However, the sun’s most serious threat is that it is the major cause of skin cancer, which is now the most common of all cancers.”
There are also those more predisposed to skin cancer. They include those prone to freckles, those with fair skin, people with light-coloured eyes, people with naturally red or blonde hair and those with a family history of skin cancer.
Skin cancer is less common in those with darker skin because they have higher levels of melanin pigments, which shield them from the sun.
Dr Hurbas said there was little evidence to suggest that skin cancer was especially prevalent in the UAE. But, he said, recorded cases tended to be among the expatriate population.
In the United States, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer. More than two million people have the condition diagnosed each year, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
Dr Aladdin Maarraoui, chief of the oncology department at Abu Dhabi’s Mafraq Hospital, said it was important that those with several moles on their body saw a dermatologist once a year.
While a common mole will rarely develop into melanoma – the most serious type of skin cancer – if the colour, size, shape, or height of a mole changes or if it starts to itch, bleed, or ooze, people should seek urgent attention, said the American.
Source: The National
Published: 17 July 2014
