Today, I'm just thankful that the call of mountains proved to be stronger than that of the tropics, and that so far, anyway, my skin has not developed either the thick, waxy spotting that is the calling card of basal cell carcinoma, the red nodules that indicate squamous cell carcinoma, or the black moles of malignant melanoma. Other disorders caused by high temperatures, including heat exhaustion and heatstroke, can be equally dangerous. Who's Most At Risk Redheads and blue-eyed blondes are most susceptible to sunburn and skin cancers. The elderly are at higher risk for heat-related illnesses, as well as most carcinomas, which are triggered by accumulated exposures to UVB radiation. Older people are also more likely to use medicines, including beta blockers, diuretics, anti-depressants, and other psychiatric drugs, which impair sweating and can hasten the onset of heat exhaustion or heatstroke.
Acclimatization is a big factor in heat-related illnesses.
The body's sweating mechanism needs to adjust to strenuous activity in hot climates. The Skin Cancer Foundation predicts that 5 million Americans will develop skin cancers in the first decade of the millennium. More than 50,000 will die. To protect against UVB radiation, the wavelength of ultraviolet radiation that causes sunburn and skin cancer, first understand that it doesn't take a lot of exposure to cause irreversible damage. My brother, Kevin, who is an emergency-room doctor, stresses that even one bad case of sunburn increases the risk of developing a skin cancer down the road.