Until the dystopian days when indoor wavepools dominate the world, surfers are stuck sitting for hours in the sun, waiting for waves, and absolutely cooking.
So, it’s no surprise that surfers are more prone to adverse health effects from extended sun exposure, like skin cancer and melanoma. And a new study shows just how much surfers are afflicted by such sun-related issues, and the numbers are shocking.
Surfers 120x more likely to get skin cancer than the general population.
The study comes from Southern Cross University in the surf-heavy region of Queensland, Australia. And, as the study authors indicated, it “was the most extensive screening study on surfers, swimmers and walkers/runners ever conducted.”
Also, the study served as a test for using artificial intelligence (AI) technology as a viable tool in detecting diseases like skin cancer and melanoma.
According to project leader, Associate Professor Mike Climstein:
“There is widespread enthusiasm from clinicians to use artificial intelligence (AI) to help detect skin cancer, and these studies are promising, showing these tools may be equal to or even superior to specialists for the detection of malignant melanomas.
“Early detection rates would greatly benefit Australia, which has the world’s highest incidence of malignant melanomas per capita, with those residing in Queensland and Northern NSW at highest risk. These AI tools may help in the difficult task of diagnosing early skin cancers which often have a lack of obvious clinical features or may blend into sun damaged skin.
“Our research shows that people who participate in outdoor sports and recreation experience high levels of intermittent ultraviolet radiation (UVR), which is associated with the development of skin cancer such as malignant melanomas.
“And this research goes a step further, in reporting the performance parameters of commercially available AI-powered software to assess the predictive risk of malignant melanoma development.”
Listen to your mom. Wear your sunscreen.
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