Not everyone reacts to the sun in the same way. The biggest risk? Skin cancer, which represents one-third of all diagnosed cancers. Several factors come into play: your natural resistance to the sun, your skin phototype, certain family histories and even your number of beauty spots...
The first thing to know is that we are all born with a precious, natural resistance to the sun.
Simply put, this is the maximum quantity of UV an individual can take during his or her lifetime without the risk of developing cancer. Not everyone has the same natural resistance to the sun. This resistance is determined based on skin phototypes. This classification is based on our skin's tanning ability, which ranges from skin that burns easily, light skins for example, to darker skins that tan more easily. Even if natural resistance to the sun differs between skin phototypes, all skin is made fragile by the sun.
Herein lies the paradox of solar radiation: on one hand it enables the synthesis of Vitamin D, a source of well-being that provides us with a radiant, tan complexion; on the other, unfortunately, our skin can no longer defend itself once its natural resistance to the sun has been exhausted. The consequence? Sunburn (actinic erythema), accelerated ageing of the skin (photoageing), immunosuppression (a drop in skin immunity), sun intolerance (photodermatosis) and skin cancers, which currently represents one-third of diagnosed cancers (source: WHO, 2015).
Who is most at risk of developing skin cancer? People with very light skin, with more than 50 beauty spots on their body, or with family members who have already had skin cancers.
There are 2 types of skin cancers: carcinoma in 90% of the cases, with frequency increasing with age; or melanoma, a more serious cancer linked to major sunburns experienced during childhood.
