High Altitude and Healthy Skin: A Public Health Concern

Last spring, education officials in Cusco and Arequipa, Peru issued a mandate for all school children to wear hats during the day in order to protect children’s skin from sun damage. The education officials made this decision in response to a recent study released by the Peruvian Dermatological Society, which showed that over 70% of randomly selected young adults in the region had abnormal skin pathology. Elevations in these mountainous regions reach around 12,000 feet above sea level, and UV levels often exceed those that are considered dangerous to the skin.

In Pampas Grande, where the altitude is around 13,000 feet above sea level, many children who visit the clinic complain about lesions on their skin, most commonly blotchiness on their face and cheeks. In a group discussion, the Richmond Global Health Alliance came up with the hypothesis that sun exposure is causing this skin damage. Under the leadership of first-year MCV medical student Morgan Vargo and pediatrician Sean McKenna, RGHA organized an observational study looking at the effect of sunscreen on the symptoms of damaged skin. For the study, a group of volunteer middle school-aged girls agreed to apply sunscreen to their faces every day before school and to be photographed periodically at the clinic. Changes in skin symptoms will be compared to girls who did not apply sunscreen every morning.

Sean Byrne with two brothers in Pampas Grande. Like many children in Pampas Grande and surrounding communities, these boys have slight red irritation on their cheeks. RGHA is actively seeking a solution to help reduce these visible symptoms of skin damage.

In the future, RGHA hopes to continue increasing awareness in high-altitude Peruvian communities about the possible negative effects of sun exposure to the skin. Although few data exist on the effects of sun exposure at high altitudes and skin cancer, RGHA will work go gather information about this serious health outcome in these regions.