Following the news last week, now is as good a time as ever to highlight skin cancer and the importance of raising awareness.
- There are over 17,500 new cases of Skin Cancer discovered each year
- 86% of these cases are preventable
How to protect yourself when outside. Sun exposure is the main cause of skin cancer – the UV light can damage skin by changing the DNA of the skin cells. Even on a cloudy day, UV light can still break through the clouds.
- Stay in the Shade as much as you can
- Wear clothing that covers your arms and legs
- Wear a hat with a brim to shade your face, head, ears and neck
- Wear sunglasses that wrap around and block UVA and UVB neck
- Use a broad spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher
It is also important to protect yourself indoors as well. Indoors tanning also exposes people to high levels of UV rays which includes: tanning bed, booth, sunbed and sunlamps.
How to check your Moles:
- Stand in a well-lit room
- Use a full-length mirror and a hand mirror to check your whole body
- Make sure you check everywhere, including less obvious places
- Track the size and shape of the moles
If you are worried about a mole, you should get them check by a GP as soon as you can. For more information and advice, please follow the websites below:
