The Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC) and the Official College of Pharmacists of Santa Cruz de Tenerife launched the skin cancer prevention campaign with the installation of photoprotection tents in the middle of the second heat wave suffered by the Island this summer. The tents were installed yesterday in the Plaza del Cristo de La Laguna. Subsequently, they will be placed on Thursday the 20th in the Plaza de San Pedro de Güímar and on the 27th, in the Spain Square from Llanos de Aridane (La Palma). Already, on the 6th the first tent was installed in the Nuestra Señora de África market in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, with the participation of more than a hundred people who, after completing a form on their dermatological care habits, received information on the state of their skin.
The Spanish Association Against Cancer recalls that cases of skin cancer affect more than 78,000 people in Spain each year. Andres Orozco, its president, asks the population to “change the reference models of healthy skin.” “Tanning is a skin defense mechanism against sunburn and should not be taken as a healthy habit,” Orozco clarified, stressing that “the incidence of skin cancer has increased by 40% in the last four years and We are afraid that it will increase even more after that desire to enjoy everything and already after the pandemic. That is why he calls for moderation in the face of the sun, especially in these days with a lot of sunstroke and extreme temperatures.
Thanks to the municipal collaborations that have allowed the installation of these photoprotection tents, pharmacists from the Official College of Tenerife and La Palma will be able to analyze the hydration levels and the degree of skin condition due to sun exposure of people who wish to participate. In addition, information will be provided to the population that includes a series of measures to follow to avoid these harmful effects on health. In the presentation of the tents, the pharmacists commented on the results of the surveys carried out in the previous edition of the campaign, a result that makes it clear that the population does not protect itself from the sun. 53% admit that they do not use photoprotection compared to 47% who do.
