A Co Down woman just spilled the beans about her skin cancer diagnosis, and it’s causing quite a stir. New data that came out today reveals that a whopping 44% of folks in Northern Ireland get sunburned at least once a year. Yikes! With sunny days on the horizon for this week and the upcoming May bank holiday weekend, skin cancer experts are on edge about the potential spike in sunburn cases.
As melanoma skin cancer rates keep on rising in the UK, the charity Melanoma Focus is sounding the alarm bells. They’re saying that the implications of this data are no joke. Around 17,500 new cases of melanoma skin cancer pop up in the UK every single year, making it the fifth most common cancer out there. And guess what? Melanoma is the real deal when it comes to skin cancer because it has the highest mortality rate. Deaths from melanoma are expected to keep going up, which is pretty scary stuff.
But get this – a third (that’s 33%) of people in Northern Ireland ‘fess up to hardly ever or never slathering on sunscreen during the summer months. And now that the country is in the midst of a mini heatwave, the cancer charity is warning that we might see a surge in sunburns this week. Melanoma Focus is now calling on the UK Government to scrap VAT on factor 30+ sunscreen to make it more wallet-friendly for everyone and hopefully reduce the number of melanoma skin cancer cases.
Heather Bamford, a 67-year-old from Drumbeg, got hit with a melanoma skin cancer diagnosis back in 2019. She shared, “I wasn’t really one for lounging in the sun or going on beach holidays, but as an endurance athlete, I spent a lot of time outdoors training for Ironman and marathon races. I was working as a nurse in Belfast when I got really sick after catching TB on the ward I was on. I ended up in the hospital after having part of my lung removed, and that’s when I noticed a mole on my thigh that had grown, turned red, and looked all wonky around the edges.”
Heather continued, “Since I was getting treatment for TB, I didn’t see my GP for about six months. Finding out I had melanoma was a huge shock. Luckily, it hadn’t spread, but it was incredibly stressful, especially since I couldn’t handle the targeted treatment due to the severe side effects on my already weakened immune system.”
As Heather bravely shared her skin cancer journey, experts are worried about a potential increase in sunburn cases during the current heatwave. Susanna Daniels, the big boss at Melanoma Focus, said, “This data is pretty alarming because we know that getting sunburnt more than five times in your life doubles your chances of getting melanoma. So, burning every year could have some serious long-term consequences. Nearly 9 in 10 cases of melanoma can be prevented, yet the UK sees more melanoma deaths each year than Australia. It’s crucial that everyone gets how risky sunburn can be and takes sun protection seriously by using factor 30+ sunscreen, wearing a hat, seeking shade, and covering up when it’s scorching outside.”
Professor Catherine Harwood, a top-notch Dermatologist and Melanoma Focus Trustee, chimed in, “Sunburn significantly ups your odds of getting skin cancer down the line. The fact that so many people are toasting their skin and not using sunscreen regularly is pretty worrying. With melanoma cases on the rise in the UK, it’s more important than ever for the public to take preventive measures.”
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