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.

Project Update

Thank you to all who attended our event, Experiences in Peru: Medicine, Education and Life in the Andes. We were so excited to showcase our work and experience the Achachis y Bordados exhibit with our friends and family.

Here are some photos taken at the event:

Michael, Ari, and Colin greeting guests as they enter the Achachis y Bordados Exhibit in the Lora Robins Gallery at the University of Richmond

Guests looking through the Achachis

Dr. Sean speaking to our guests about who we are and what we do

In other news, we are excited to announce the addition of a new, great group of University of Richmond students to our trip to Pampas Grande in March. These students are UR stand-outs, and we are thrilled to have them working with us on our projects as we plan for Pampas.

Additionally, thanks to Dr. Paula Tamashiro, we now have a comprehensive figure describing our services in Pampas Grande last year. We are using this data to help shape our projects for the trip this spring and for our long-term efforts. Thanks, Dr. Paula!



Experiences in Peru: Medicine, Education and Life in the Andes

Our upcoming fundraising event, Experiences in Peru: Medicine, Education and Life in the Andes, will be held on Saturday, November 12 from 6 to 8pm at the Lora Robins Gallery (next to Boatwright Memorial Library) on the University of Richmond campus. Come and enjoy light refreshments along with a brief lecture from pediatrician Dr. Sean McKenna (top vote-getter for Richmond Magazine's Top Docs of 2011) and a gallery of beautifully embroidered Peruvian tapestries (achachis) and breath-taking photographs of our adventures in Peru. Donations are greatly appreciated, and checks can be made payable to the Richmond Global Health Alliance.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Welcome to our new blog!

Thanks for visiting our new blog! Our goal is to post updates on our projects and our plans for next year's trip to Peru. Currently, we are drafting a 2011 trip report that summarizes our work in the clinic this spring alongside Pan Peru, a Lima-based non-profit organization. The report will be posted to the blog upon completion. In the mean time, here are some of the most recent pictures of us in Pampas Grande. 

MCV student Sid Dante standing with Pan Peru dental volunteer Erika Soria outside the Pampas Grande Clinic

Richmond healthcare lawyer Sean Byrne, donating books to the Pampas Grande Library

 Nurse practitioner Julie Armistead, taking patient history in Shancac, a town near Pampas Grande

 UR junior Chelsea Safran and senior Blair Armistead, organizing the pharmacy in Shancac

Peruvians challenge the Americans in a game of futbol

Pediatrician Sean McKenna debriefing the group before a day in the clinic

The Pampas Grande schoolchildren waving goodbye to their American visitors