Skin cancer awareness
Risks and protection
Who is most at risk?
- Children should always be covered up in the sun; those who have a high exposure to the sun at a young age are more likely to develop skin cancer later in life.
- Those with fair skin, lightly coloured eyes or lighter coloured hair have less pigment in their skin and so have less protection against UV rays.
- People who have a large number of moles or who have lots of unusual moles are at a higher risk of developing melanoma.
- Those with a family history of melanoma are more at risk, particularly if three or more relatives including parents, siblings or children have been diagnosed with the disease.
- Those who work outside spend longer exposed to UV light so have an increased risk of skin cancer.
What you can do to protect yourself
The best way to protect yourself from skin cancer is to avoid overexposure to UV light. The easiest ways to do this are to avoid using sunbeds, cover up in the sun, and stay in the shade when the sun is at its strongest, between 11am and 3pm, and never let your skin burn.
Does using sunscreen protect us again skin cancer?
A high factor sunscreen (sun protection factor 15 or above) may help reduce the risk of skin cancer. We recommend that people don’t rely on sunscreen alone. Always cover up in cool, loose fitting clothes and wear a hat.
