A proper dose of sunscreen with SPF 50 - and the protection against skin cancer is perfect? "A misbelief," warns skin cancer expert Claus Garbe of the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen. The skin can not be fully protected by sunscreen against skin cancer: "Before sunburn yes, not from skin cancer." Even very low doses of UV radiation, according to dermatologists, cause changes in the genome in the skin, which can increase the risk of cancer. "As soon as the skin turns brown, mutations are already triggered," says Garbe.

According to German Cancer Aid, more than 290,000 people a year are diagnosed with skin cancer in Germany, and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are two to three million people worldwide. By far the greater part of them are affected by the less aggressive white skin cancer compared to black skin cancer, which includes basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

Aggressive tumor due to UV light

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), 21,000 people were diagnosed with black skin cancer (malignant melanoma) in 2014, and more than 250,000 new cases worldwide each year. It is a malignant tumor of the pigment cells (melanocytes) in the skin, which rapidly forms metastases and is then difficult to combat.

The trend is on the whole clearly rising:

  • In the fifties there was one case of particularly treacherous melanoma per 100,000 people a year in Germany,
  • in the nineties it was 8 cases per 100,000 people
  • in 2010 it was 25 to 100,000
  • For the year 2030, Garbe predicts 45 cases per 100,000 people.

As long as the people did not miss the extensive sunbathing, the skin cancer rates probably increased further, fears Sheaf, who is also the conference president of the 13th September in Stuttgart held German Skin Cancer Congress. By 2030, a doubling in the number of new cases is expected.

Toddlers starting under the awning

Experts see the significantly increasing number of cases as the late consequences of UV-related skin damage in childhood and adolescence. Similarly, many years of recreational and occupational sun exposure increase the risk of developing skin cancer. The more intense and prolonged the skin was exposed to UV radiation (ultraviolet radiation), the higher the risk of cancer.

The fact that one should protect and cream especially children, is now almost everyone aware, says the Berlin pediatrician Herbert Grundhewer. The basic rule is simple: the longer UV rays hit the skin, the greater the risk. Especially small children are at risk because of their thin skin. Many kindergartens responded to this knowledge, Grundhewer said, and let the children play in the sand, especially under sun sails.

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Grundhewer also warns against confusing heat with UV radiation. Do not see and feel the dangerous radiation. Of course, children should be out in the nature, but also on cool, sunny days only protected with cream and clothing - especially between 11 and 15 o'clock. Also, travel to solar countries are critical, where there is hardly time to adjust to the sudden load. "This is a special stress for the skin," says Grundhewer.

Especially in the more dangerous black skin cancer experts believe that it is due to acute UV overload, especially in childhood. The white skin cancer, however, mainly affects long-term tourists, but also construction workers or roofers who are exposed to the sun for a long time. The German statutory accident insurance reports significantly rising numbers of recognized as occupational disease skin cancer.

Was everything worse this year?

The summer this year was mostly sunny - and long. And that increased the chances of burnt skin. Although sunburn alone does not cause any skin cancer, it does add up: "The skin adds up," says Ralph von Kiedrowski from the board of the German Dermatologists Association (BVDD). Over the course of life, the cumulative damage increases - and the probability of skin cancer increases.

In addition, there are various genetic conditions that sometimes promote the development of skin cancer. However, large parts of the population are still not sufficiently sensitized to the dangers, Kiedrowski suspects, because: "Only 35 percent of those who could claim skin cancer screening do so."

A study from the University of Heidelberg had recently shown that artificial intelligence can help doctors recognize black skin cancer. In an experiment with 100 images of malignant melanoma and benign birthmarks, the computer program was on average more likely to make the correct diagnosis than 58 dermatologists from different countries.