Skin tumours: Prevention

Skin tumours

This topic deals both with skin tumours arising from the epidermis and its appendages, and from the dermis (Table 18.1).

Prevention

Many skin tumours (e.g. actinic keratoses, lentigines, keratoacanthomas, basal cell carcinomas, squamous cell carcinomas, malignant melanomas and, arguably, acquired melanocytic naevi) would all become less common if Caucasoids, especially those with a fair skin, protected themselves adequately against sunlight. 

The education of those living in sunny climates or holiday-ing in the sun has already reaped great rewards here (Fig. 18.1). Successful campaigns have focused on regu-lar self-examination and on reducing sun exposure by avoidance, clothing and sunscreen preparations (Figs 18.2 and 18.3). Public compliance has been encouraged by imaginative slogans like the Australian ‘sun smart’ and ‘slip, slap and slop’ (slip on the shirt, slap on the hat and slop on the sunscreen) advice, the American Academy of Dermatology ‘ABCs’ (away, block, cover up, shade) leaflet and that lovable Amer-ican creature Joel Mole.