A new survey has revealed that just one in five people in the UK have checked their skin for cancer, despite cases 'doubling since the 90s'.
And so LifeJacket Skin Protection and Melanoma UK have announced a campaign this May - which is Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Melanoma is the 5th most common cancer in the UK with around 16,700 people diagnosed each year, according to Cancer Research UK.
They are looking to make people aware of the risks of failing to use SPF after their research found that UK adults have burnt themselves 15 times on average in their lifetime.
Medical data suggests that five or more burns in your lifetime doubles your risk of skin cancer, according to the two groups.
Professor Christian Aldridge, Consultant Dermatologist for LifeJacket Skin Protection said: "This new data correlates with what I'm seeing every day in my surgery.
"More and more patients are coming to me after years of little or no protection for their skin in the sun which, at best, is causing skin damage and premature ageing. However in many cases, it's causing skin cancer which is almost totally preventable."
Some 10 percent of the 2,002 respondents to their survey rarely use SPF. This could suggest that more than 6.7 million people are skipping daily sun protection.
Worryingly one in 20 say they never use sunscreen. Of the UK adults who shared they don’t use SPF every day:
- 21 percent said this was because they rarely burn and just tan
- one in five said they only use it when they feel like they’re burning
- 20 percent of people only remember when prompted by a friend or family member
- 16 percent will only use it abroad
- 10 percent only when the dial goes over 40 degrees Celsius
Co-founder of LifeJacket Skin Protection Billy Boulos commented: "This data reconfirms what we're already aware of; most people aren't protecting their skin adequately."
Billy adds that he hopes the awareness campaign can help to slow down skin cancer rates which have doubled since the 90s.
Gillian Nuttall, CEO and Founder of Melanoma UK, advised "We want people to take a much more proactive approach to protecting their skin.
"Daily protection is absolutely essential, and we want everyone to look at their skin and notice any differences.
"If there's a blemish or something you're not happy about, chances are it needs looking at.
"Hopefully it's nothing but go and get it checked by a healthcare professional."
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