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Despite all therapeutic advances, prevention and early detection remain the most important measures once morest skin cancer, say skin experts.

Vienna (OTS/Vienna) – In Austria, the whole of May is “Skin Health Month” once more this year. The aim is to strengthen the importance of the skin for health and well-being in society and to inform regarding current advances in the treatment of common skin diseases.

This year, a lot revolves around skin cancer and skin cancer prevention. Appropriately, this year the campaign is working closely with the Austrian Cancer Aid, which has been campaigning for 35 years to provide information regarding skin cancer prevention and early detection as well as support for those affected and their families with the “Sun without Remorse” campaign. Other campaign themes: chronic itching, stigma associated with visible skin changes, peculiarities of aging skin, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and many more.

35 years of “sun without regrets”

In 1988, the Austrian Society for Dermatology and Venereology (ÖGDV) organized the first “Melanoma Prevention Campaign”. Since then, the “Sun without Remorse” campaign, which is carried out together with the Austrian Cancer Aid, has been working to raise awareness of the dangers of the sun, the need for sun protection and regular skin checks in the population.

„The message of the ‘Sun without Remorse’ campaign has remained the same over the years: melanoma can be cured if it is detected and removed early“, explains Univ.-Prof. dr Erika Richtig, dermatooncologist and board member of the Austrian Cancer Aid. Early detection is still considered the “therapy of choice” – also with regard to the good healing successes that have been achieved through the groundbreaking further development of melanoma therapy in recent years.

Regular check-ups

In addition to initiatives such as “Sun without Remorse”, dermatologists have also been providing intensive education and persuasion for decades when it comes to the prevention and early detection of skin cancer. Myths regarding the “healthy tan” and the positive effects of UV radiation persist. This is also reflected in the statistics: melanoma, the dreaded black skin cancer, is on the rise. Like white skin cancer, black skin cancer is also largely due to solar radiation.

“When it comes to prevention, regular preventive check-ups at the dermatologist are of primary importance. Particularly light skin types and those with many birthmarks or those who have already had skin cancer should take advantage of the dermatological check-ups“, says Univ.-Prof. Dr. Christoph Höller from the University Clinic for Dermatology in Vienna. Particularly important: protecting the skin right from the start, because sunburn in childhood increases the risk of skin cancer in later years the instructions for sensible use of the sun in kindergartens and schools are decisive, according to the experts .

Chronic, unbearable itching: what is behind it?

Itching (medical: pruritus) is a very common symptom because practically every one of us scratches an itchy spot on our body every day. However, if pruritus persists for longer (more than six weeks), it is referred to as chronic itching, which increasingly assumes a “pathological role” with increasing duration. “One in five people in our part of the world will develop chronic pruritus at some point in their lives – the older people get, the higher the risk.”, says Univ.-Prof. dr Franz Legat from the University Clinic for Dermatology in Graz. In many cases, those affected suffer from chronic itching for months, years or even decades and, in the case of chronic prurigo, from often numerous, scratched and bloody areas on the arms, legs and trunk.

How can the health system help those affected? Legate: “It is important to make people aware of the importance of the disease, because it is not just regarding ‘a bit of itching’, but regarding a massive reduction in the quality of life for those affected.“

Fascinating advances in dermatology

“The developments in research-driven dermatology are fascinating. New drugs are now directly benefiting the patient – and this is for diseases for which there were no specific treatment approaches until recently“, reports Univ.-Prof. dr Peter Wolf, head of the University Clinic for Dermatology and Venereology in Graz and President of the ÖGDV. This “golden age in dermatology” began with the development of targeted drugs (so-called biologics) once morest tumor necrosis factor alpha for the treatment of psoriasis. In dermato-oncology, immunotherapies and new targeted therapies in particular have decisively improved the prognosis of melanoma patients – “to an extent that was previously only dreamed of”so Wolf.

Questions & contact:

association big5health, Paulin Klarner, BA, Tel.: 0660 845 37 03,
E-Mail: paulin.klaerner@big5health.at, Web: www.meinehautgesundheit.at