The word ‘carcinogen’ has become all too familiar in recent years. A carcinogen is something that causes cancer. In our society, sunlight is the most common carcinogen, it being the leading cause of skin cancer which is the most common form of all cancers. (Despite being the most common form of cancer, skin cancer causes only about 2 per cent of all cancer deaths, and such cases could virtually all be prevented.)

Skin cancer is predominantly caused by chronic cell injury induced by prolonged exposure to infra-red and ultraviolet radiation. There is usually, however, quite a long latent period or delay between the exposure to solar radiation and the appearance of skin cancer. The energy from this UVA and UVB radiation is absorbed at various levels of the epidermis, causing cellular damage. Most of the damage occurs in the genetic material known as DNA, which enables cells to duplicate themselves. In most cases a cell manages to repair this damage. Eventually though, it may not be able to do so, in which case the cell may die, contributing to the appearance of premature skin ageing, or may change its character completely. Such changes in cells are called mutations, and some of these mutations may be cancerous.

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