Wearable Technology Campaign Aimed at Reducing Skin Cancer

WOMEN’S WORLD

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer among Mexican men and the third-most-common form of cancer among Mexican women, yet only 20 percent of Mexican women regularly apply sunscreen and less than 3 percent of Mexican men use daily UV protection.

In fact, according to statistics from the National Social Security Institute (IMSS), the incidence of skin cancer in Mexico has increased from 2 percent to a whopping 13 percent in just the last decade.

“Skin cancer is a serious and potentially deadly disease which far too often goes undetected until it has advanced to a stage that is hard to treat,” said Paula Torres Camacho, an attending dermatologist at the Hospital General de México, during a press conference to announce a new wearable-technology skin patch to help people determine their UV ray exposure.

“But if skin cancer is detected and treated early, it can usually be completely curable”

Unfortunately, Torres Camacho said, in Mexico many patients simply ignore the telltale warning signs, letting the disease metastasize or spread to a point where it can damage other organs and potentially prove fatal.

“It’s heartbreaking to see so many patients who lose an eye or are deformed because they didn’t attend to their skin cancer in time,” she said.

“And there are many patients who end up dying from the disease because they didn’t see a specialist in time.”

But while Torres Camacho said that about 90 percent of skin cancer can be cured if detected and treated early, the best defense against the disease is prevention.

“Generally, skin cancer is a result of overexposure to sunlight and ultraviolet rays, both UVA and UVB,” she said.

“Limiting your sun exposure and applying a good sunscreen several times throughout the day is the best way to prevent most skin cancers.”

But since most people don’t understand the dangers of sun rays and their potential to cause cancer and premature aging, Torres Camacho said that La Roche-Posay (the world’s leading sunscreen and sunblock company and the most-recommended UV protector by dermatologists) and L’Oréal Paris (the world’s largest cosmetic and beauty corporation) have teamed up to launch an international campaign to give consumers — free of charge — a simple and nonintrusive way to determine their daily sun exposure and its effects on their individual bodies.

The stretchable, electronic, heart-shaped UV sensor, appropriately named My UV Patch, was developed by L’Oréal’s U.S.-based Technology Incubator, a business division dedicated entirely to technological innovation, in cooperation with MC10, Inc., a leading stretchable electronics company using cutting-edge innovation to create the most intelligent, stretchable systems for biometric healthcare analytics.

“We created this patch to help consumers better understand sun protection,” explained Guive Balooch, L’Oréal’s Technology Incubator global vice president, speaking via a televised Skype connection from Paris.

“And we have given it to La Roche-Posay to distribute because we feel that the company, with its global importance, is helping to combat skin cancer.”

La Roche-Posay has taken a leadership role internationally by promoting skin cancer awareness and prevention campaigns, including here in Mexico, where it has partnered with the Mexico City Health Secretariat and the Mexican Society of Dermatologists (SMD) for the last three years to organize free detection centers.

The new My UV Patch technology comes at a time when sun exposure has become a major health issue worldwide, with 90 percent of non-melanoma skin cancers being associated with exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

The patch is a transparent adhesive that, unlike the rigid wearables currently on the market, stretches and adheres directly to any area of skin that consumers can monitor.

It measures about one square inch in area and is half the thickness of an average strand of hair.

It contains 18 squares with photosensitive dyes that factor in the baseline skin tone and change color when exposed to UV rays to indicate varying levels of sun exposure.

Consumers can take a photo of the patch and upload it to a La Roche-Posay My UV Patch mobile app, which analyzes the varying photosensitive dye squares to determine the amount of UV exposure the wearer has received.

“This new connected technology has the potential to completely disrupt how we monitor the skin’s exposure to various external factors, including UV,” said Balooch.

“Previous technologies could only tell users the amount of potential sun exposure they were receiving per hour while wearing a rigid, non-stretchable device.”

But Torres Camacho stressed that the patch is only a way of monitoring your sun exposure, and will not prevent skin cancer unless it is used in conjunction with a limiting of daily sun exposure and the use of a broad spectrum sunscreen.

“Applying sunscreen should be part of your daily routine, no matter where you live,” she said.

“And because Mexico City is so high — at an altitude of 2,240 meters above sea level — it is even more important to use sunscreen here than at the beach.”

Most sunscreens on the market today provide broad-spectrum protection against UVA and UVB rays, but you should always check the label to make sure that the product you are buying falls into that category.

“It only takes a minute or two to apply sunscreen, and doing it can help keep your complexion beautiful and your body healthy,” added La Roche-Posay director in Mexico Susana Marquez.

“That is what La Roche-Posay is all about. We want to make a difference in protecting people’s skin from the sun.”

The UV patch can be worn on any part of the body that is exposed to sunlight and is available in Mexico either through the more than 200 participating dermatologists or through La Roche-Posey’s webpage at http://www.laroche-posay.com.mx.

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