Doctors seeing more cases of skin cancer in Singapore
By Hiroshi Limmell, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 26 May 2008 0031 hrs

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SINGAPORE: The National Cancer Centre said doctors in Singapore are seeing more cases of skin cancer. For men, it is the seventh most frequent cancer and for women, it ranks eighth.

Inadequate protection against the sun is one major cause of skin cancer.

Protecting himself against the sun was not a priority for 41-year-old Vincent Lam, who is a professional tennis and kiteboarding instructor. His wake-up call came when his buddy passed away from skin cancer.

"I had a very close friend whom I did a lot of outdoor activities with. She passed away from skin cancer," he said.

But Lam said not many are serious about protecting their skin, so he makes it a point to remind his students.

He said: "We get kids from four years old onwards. We play tennis at noon when the sun gets pretty hot. Even with hats and sunglasses, it doesn't really help much, so I would advise them to put sunblock as well."

Experts said one should choose a sunscreen that provides protection against both ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B rays.

Dr Curtis Cole, a photobiologist, said: "The UV 'A' gives a lot of pigmenting effect on the skin and unless you provide the protection against both the UV 'B' and the UV 'A', the skin can get dark even with little sunlight exposure."

Besides using sunscreen, doctors said wearing protective clothing when outdoors can also reduce the risk of developing skin cancer.


- CNA/so