26-year-old Cancer: – – splash down Sofienbergparken

Parks and beaches are crowded with sun-slathered and sun-slathered people throughout the summer months. Young and old.

Previously, Silje Axelsen (33) was an almost permanent fixture on the country's beaches or solariums – often without sunscreen.

– I want to spray Sofienbergparken with solar factor 50, she says about the current approach.

Mal's (8) fight against cancer

As a 26-year-old, in 2016, the southerner from Fleckeroy, outside Christiansand, was diagnosed with skin cancer. Three years later came encouraging news: the cancer had spread to the lymph nodes. Luckily she escaped unharmed.

– Regular blonde

Silje explains that, like many Norwegian women, she spent most of the summer under cloudless skies – with a UV index well above the recommended limit:

– I was probably a typical Norwegian “blonde” who liked to be in the sun in the summer. I have occasionally used a solarium in the winter, but not in extreme amounts.

In 2013, she began to worry about a mole. At first the doctors decided that she needn't worry.

Up to 90 percent of all melanoma cases are directly related to exposure to UV rays, shows Statistics from the Cancer Society.

Many studies have shown that eventually it is cancer with spread.

– Absolutely wild

Silje explains that every day, especially in the summer, she does her best to get a tan — or “tan.”

– I wanted to get a tan, maybe I could lie in the sun for seven hours a day. The whole cancer was rooted in the fact that I loved color, she says, adding:

– Even though the UV code said I should use factor 50, I rarely used more than factor 10.

Although the cancer left her, she still hasn't completely let go.

The annual PET scan tests at the Radium Hospitalet, the pronounced fatigue and the constant uncertainty attached to the diagnosis, became excessive in everyday life.

The 33-year-old had developed lymphoedema – chronic swelling caused by an overload in the lymphatic system or reduced transport capacity for lymph fluid, which Cancer Society write down

– How stupid can you be. It was absolutely crazy that I kept going like that. Nothing brown is worth dying or getting sick of, she reflects.

He will warn others

Fleckeringen, who now lives in Oslo, agrees that young people should make their own decisions when it comes to exposing us to UVB radiation from our nearest star.

– You should enjoy summer and heat, ie. I do it myself, she says.

However:

– It is better to be in good health than to be brown and dead.

Because of the scorching sun and high exposure to UVB rays, she is not outside between 12 and 2 a.m., and the sun cream with factor 15 has been changed to 50.

In 2019, she spoke openly about her life Television 2. He has also actively contributed to the Cancer Society #Bareblid campaignThis will contribute to increasing awareness and – and consequently – prevention of skin cancer.

These days, many places in Norway are basking in the sun. At the same time, the anti-sunscreen movement is spreading on social media.

– Especially at a young age, I get angry and irritated when I see people who refuse sunscreen. But ultimately people should be allowed to make their own choices. You should wear sunscreen.

warning

Basically a statement Settlement surveyProduced in collaboration with the Directorate of Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety and the Cancer Society, it shows that “fewer and fewer” Norwegians are staying in the sun to get a tan.

Startling cancer findings

The findings are based on responses from 1,160 adult respondents and, among others, conclude the following:

• There is a high level of awareness among people about how to reduce the risk of skin cancer. Nine in ten believe they can reduce their risk by limiting their time in the sun, protecting themselves with sunscreen and clothing, and avoiding sun exposure. Eight in ten believe that not using a solarium reduces the risk.
• Five out of ten people find it difficult to know when a mole should be examined by a doctor. Three out of ten people check their skin regularly without noticing any changes.
• 91% have heard of the UV Index, up from 79% two years ago. Four in ten check the UV index regularly or sometimes.

– Unfavorable

Researcher Ellen Brussel of the Scientific Committee for Food and Environment (VKM) has researched sunscreens.

If you want to avoid using sunscreen, for health and well-being reasons, you may want to rethink your thinking, the researcher tells Dagbladet.

– In VKM's benefit and risk assessment, we found that none of the six UV filters most commonly used in sunscreens on the Norwegian market poses any risk to users, he adds.

Too much sun isn't good either, Brussels points out.

– I believe that “sunbathing” as an activity is unfavorable. This shows an increase in skin cancer in Norway, he says, and refers to the cancer registry.