OP-ED | Albinism Awareness Month puts overlooked skin cancer risks in focus

Health-e News OP-ED | Albinism Awareness Month puts overlooked skin cancer risks in focus Professor Chrysis Sofianos, Academic Head of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of the Witwatersrand, urges South Africans not to ignore the small skin changes that could eventually require major treatment and reconstruction.

A sore that refuses to heal.

A mole that starts changing.

A small patch of skin that repeatedly bleeds or crusts.

These changes can be easy to dismiss, but skin cancer is a potentially serious and life-threatening disease, and delaying assessment can allow even a small lesion to become considerably more difficult to treat.

In September, South Africa observes Albinism Awareness Month, raising awareness of the health and social challenges faced by people living with albinism.

Albinism is a genetic condition impacting the production of melanin, the pigment responsible for colour in the skin, hair, and eyes.

Melanin also provides some natural protection against ultraviolet radiation, meaning people with albinism, who produce very little or no melanin, face a particularly high risk of sun damage and skin cancer.

This makes ongoing sun protection and vigilance especially important.

Albinism Awareness Month rightly draws attention to the greater vulnerability of people with albinism when it comes to sun exposure and skin cancer.

The important message is to protect your skin and know what is normal for you so that you can have any concerning changes assessed early.

Skin cancer can be difficult to spot Early recognition can, however, be more challenging in people with albinism.

Some skin cancers may lack the pigmentation people commonly associate with suspicious lesions, making it especially important not to rely on colour alone when deciding whether a change needs medical attention.

The month can also challenge the broader assumption that skin cancer is exclusively a disease of fairer skin.