Sun Awareness Week is held annually with the aim of educating the public on the importance of protecting their skin from dangerous sun exposure. Sun exposure has little to do with the temperature; it refers to UV exposure, which can be as strong in winter months as in summer months. The British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) organise this campaign to highlight the importance of protection and detection of skin cancer, the most common type of cancer in the UK.
Venetian ceruse, also called spirits of Saturn, was a popular cosmetic used widely by European nobles in the 16th century. It was a must-have for none other than Queen Elizabeth I, who used it to cover up small-pox scars. This make-up kit essential was a skin whitening product made up of water, vinegar and white lead. Yes, the poisonous metal lead. The use of lead to maintain pale skin dates back to Ancient Roman times.
Long-term use of this mixture could lead to discolouration of the skin, loss of hair, and tooth decay. Perhaps these women were unaware of the potentially dangerous side effects this mixture could have on their health. That’s unlikely though, as it was the Ancient Greeks who first wrote about the health complications caused by exposure to lead thousands of years before. Why would these people, despite their knowledge of the harm it could have on their health continue to cake it on?
The simple answer is beauty standards. Back then, to have a pale, ghostly completion was desirable. White skin was associated with a higher class of people, those who did not spend hours sweltering under a blistering sun, forced to undertake labour-intensive work to feed their families. Skin colour showed status. Maybe risking lead poisoning wasn’t as harmful as, heavens forbit, being mistaken as a commoner.
It’s enough to make you wonder, is damaging your skin really worth it?
Attitudes changed amongst upper-class women in the late 1920s. It was Coco Chanel who set the trend in motion. Disembarking from her yacht in Cannes in 1923 slightly sunburnt, the French fashion designer reinvented the standardised concept of what beauty meant for the most elite and affluential people of the time. By 1929 some of the most dominant fashion magazines had ditched advertisements that promoted pale skin, either through cosmetic bleaching or protective measures from the sun, and began to highlight the desirable and fashionable appearance of tanned skin. This trend has continued well into the 21st century, with people even availing of sunbeds to give them a year-round healthy sun-kissed glow.
It is not a coincidence, however, that rates of skin cancer in this period have increased. This includes both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. The main reason is an increase in exposure to UV radiation, either from the sun or sunbeds, the leading cause of skin cancer. Despite the rising number of diagnoses and the widespread, readily available information on the danger of UV radiation exposure, tanning stills remains popular. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the UK. It’s comparable to the Victorians who plastered the poisonous lead-mixture onto their skins, is it not?
Perhaps tanning alone is not responsible for the increase in cases of skin cancer. Of course, as a result of global warming our planets’ atmosphere provides less protection from UV rays that were once absorbed by a now depleted ozone layer. Screening for cancer is now more widely practised than it was at the start of the 20th century, which detects more cases earlier on. That being said, the question remains whether we are doing enough to protect ourselves from potentially harmful over exposure to the sun.
The British Association of Dermatologists‘ (BAD) Sun Awareness Week, held annually from May 2nd to May 8th, plays a vital role in the education of the importance of protection from sun damage, as well as the prevention and early detection of skin cancer.
Sun damage can happen to anyone, regardless of race or ethnicity. 35% of the UK’s population were burnt last year, and 28% of those people were burnt on more than one occasion. Burning increases risk of skin cancer. Additionally, other damage caused by the sun includes aging, blistering, headaches, sun stroke, a weakened immune system, damage to the eyes, dehydrations, and heat exhaustion.
In order to reduce your risk of sun damage, it’s advisable to avoid the peak hours of sunlight from 10am to 4pm, apply sun cream every two hours, opt to wear sunglasses and protective clothing, and shelter yourself in the shade.
As Coco Chanel, the woman who started the trend, once said: “Nature gives you the face you have at twenty; it is up to you to merit the face you have at fifty.”
It is also important to regularly be screened for skin cancer as an early diagnosis offers better chance of survival. Top Doctors helps you find the best dermatologists in your area.
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