Why the sun gives you skin bumps
Ultraviolet Radiation and Basal Cell Carcinoma: An Environmental Perspective
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Obesity may lower BCC risk — but only if you’re not getting lots of sun.
Most assume more body fat = more cancer risk, but this study says overweight women have lower BCC rates — unless they’re also exposed to high UV, then their risk spikes. This contradicts the ‘fat = bad’ narrative.
Practical Takeaways
Avoid indoor tanning before age 25 — and if you love citrus, apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Obesity may lower BCC risk — but only if you’re not getting lots of sun.
Most assume more body fat = more cancer risk, but this study says overweight women have lower BCC rates — unless they’re also exposed to high UV, then their risk spikes. This contradicts the ‘fat = bad’ narrative.
Practical Takeaways
Avoid indoor tanning before age 25 — and if you love citrus, apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside.
Publication
Journal
Frontiers in Public Health
Year
2021
Authors
Yan Teng, Yong Yu, Sujing Li, Youming Huang, Danfeng Xu, Xiaohua Tao, Yibin Fan
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Claims (4)
Chronic ultraviolet radiation exposure is the primary etiological factor in the development of non-melanoma skin cancers, specifically basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, which frequently occur on sun-exposed facial regions and can result in significant structural disfigurement upon surgical excision.
Too much sun, especially getting sunburned often or spending a lot of time in the sun over the years, raises your chance of getting a common type of skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma, especially if you have light skin and burn easily.
Almost all basal cell skin cancers have a damaged version of the TP53 gene — a gene that normally stops cells from turning cancerous — and the damage looks like it was caused by sunburns.
After sun damage, the skin’s immune system gets stuck in 'alarm mode' — releasing chemicals like NF-κB and COX-2 that help tumors grow instead of stopping them.