University of Trieste started for the fourth year a cycle of lessons in the secondary schools to educate students to a proper sun exposure.
To the question who of you has ever had a sunburn, most say yes. This fact underlines that in most cases sunburn is not seen as a problem and a possible risk. Maybe, this behavior is characteristic of Trieste, as the inhabitants of this town use to sun expose exaggeratedly. As a consequence the rate of skin melanomas in this Italian town is higher than the national rate. Therefore educational programs are pivotal to alert adolescents on the possible negative effect of the sun exposure. During the lectures students are educated on the use of sun protection, on the meaning of the sun protection factor, on the differences among skin photypes and on the necessity to visit dermatologists in case of pigmented lesions in rapid evolution. With respect of diagnosis, iToBoS project is described to students as a new tool for early diagnosis of melanoma and other pigmented lesions.
During the school year 2022-2023 four lectures are foreseen (15/11, 13/12, 17/1/2023, 14/02/2023), two of them have already been done.
Serena Bonin, University of Trieste