Sun burns at an early age increase the risk of developing skin cancer! What does a study do among teenagers show

More than half – 57% – of adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 believe that the tanning skin is attractive, shows a recent analysis of the Romanian Society of Dermatology. This is even though 84% of them know that sun exposure increases the risk of skin cancer.

Too much sun, especially from young ages, can cause premature skin's photo, such as wrinkles, fine lines or dark spots, warns dermatologists.

And sunburns in childhood or adolescence increase by 18% the risks of developing a suspicious skin lesion in adulthood, is the alarm signal drawn by the Romanian Dermatology Society.

According to dermatologists, exposure to UV rays can cause actinine keratosis. For example, 60% of SCC – a type of skin cancer – evolve from actinine keratosis.

The projections of the International Oncological Research Agency show that, in Europe, the number of skin cancer cases is expected to increase by almost 40%, to reach 680,000 cases per year until 2050.

Only one of two people uses sunscreen to the beach

Out of 130,000 people from 30 European countries interviewed in the EuroMelanoma leather screening program, 48% said they use sunscreen during intended sun exposure, that is, while making the beach. This percentage decreased by 34% compared to the answers 10 years ago (82%).

Similarly, only 41% of people now use sunscreen during sun exposure for recreational or professional purposes, compared to 66%, the percentage registered 10 years ago. In addition, say the data of the Romanian Society of Dermatology, 57% of those questioned regret that they have not been better protected from the sun in the past.

And the unhealthy habits of adults also influence children and adolescents.

Although most adolescents – 84% – are aware that sun exposure increases the risk of skin cancer, the use of loungers in summer on the coast is increasing in the last 10 years, the data of the Romanian dermatology society shows.

Also, the total number of people has increased – especially young people – who admit that they use artificial tanning devices: from 8% 10 years ago, to 12% at present.

According to dermatologists, these findings are an alarm signal on the need for governments, medical community, health industry, media and the general public to collaborate to reverse the tendency to increase the skin cancer rate. “It requires a significant change in both sunscreen habits and society's attitude towards intentional tanning,” say dermatologists.

“Our children can have an increased risk of developing skin cancer” – a campaign of the Romanian Society of Dermatology

The Romanian Society of Dermatology announces the continuation of the national campaign of prevention, information and awareness – Euromelanoma – in an attempt to limit the increase of the skin cancer rate in our country.

Thus, the Romanian Society of Dermatology continues the series of EuroMelanoma prevention campaigns, a project started in Romania 11 years ago, during which over 20,000 Romanians benefited from free dematological consultations, and several tens of thousands were informed in detail about the risks to which they can expose their skin, but how to prevent a skin.

The public awareness campaign this year will be carried out under the slogan “Our children may have an increased risk of developing skin cancer” and, according to its initiators, opens new perspectives on the health, protection and safety of the following generations by transposing into reality and on a broad scale of the medical, but the most of the medical. uncontrolled and unprotected exposure to the sun.

“Unfortunately, very few people understand that exposure to the sun without protection and without respecting certain hours of avoiding a large amount of ultraviolet can mean triggering a terrible disease, such as skin cancer which, once installed, creates great difficulties in the therapeutic approach even if in the last years, in the last years, as well as the medical conditions, The medical equipment, the Romanian dermatology being largely one superpassed to the big European profile centers ”, shows Dr. Alin Codruț Nicolescu, the president of the Romanian Dermatology Society and the coordinator of the Euromelanoma campaign.

For his part, Magda Constantin, primary dermato-venerology at the Colentina Clinical Hospital in Bucharest, emphasizes that “an extremely worrying aspect is given by the fact that in our country the number of leather cancers is constantly increasing and much worse is the number of cases undiagnosed or diagnosed too late, when the intervention of this doctor and the intervention of the doctor Quick and stopped, respecting the minimum conditions of medical prevention, but especially by learning an act of civic normality, that of going to the doctor regularly, at least for an annual medical examination and evaluation ”.

Campaign to prevent active skin cancer in 33 countries

Euromelanoma is a Pan-European campaign dedicated to public sensitization on skin cancer prevention and early treatment. It is coordinated by European dermatologists who dedicate their time to promote and share information on prevention, early diagnosis and skin cancer.

The campaign mainly focuses on informing the public about the skin cancer, including through the annual “Day of Euromelanoma” Screenoma Screening Day); shares knowledge and guides of good practice with medical staff; He works with the political class to make sure that the treatment of skin cancer is fully recognized and supported by the health system. Euromelanoma is a registered and active campaign in 33 countries.

The program of the Euromelanoma Campaign 2025 carried out by the Romanian Society of Dermatology:

• 10.05.2025 – Participation in the sub -Carpathians Trail Run, Edition 6 – Cocorâștii Mislii, Prahova
• 21.06. 2025 – Participation in Roșia Montană Marathon, Roşia Montană;
• 26.07.2025 – participation in Marathon – MTB Teleferic Challenge, 6th edition, Poiana Brașov;
• August 2025 – Participation in Sierra Fest Sailing;
• 11-17.08.2025-partner of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila” in organizing the campaign “Assume to be healthy”-tents located in 5 locations on the Black Sea coast.

In 2024, in the previous edition, the total number of medical consultations registered in the prevention campaign “Assume to be healthy!

Doctors have detected a series of suspicions of serious dermatological diseases: tumor disorders (4 suspicions/spin-cell carcinoma, 22 suspicions/Bazo-cell carcinoma, 67 suspicions/actinic keratoses, 42 suspicions/atipic dysplastic nevi and 5 suspicions/melanoma). In addition to these suspicions of skin cancers, numerous other benign tumor lesions have been evaluated for which it was recommended to monitor the specialist.

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