Here’s a scary statistic – 300 people in New Zealand die from skin cancer every year. What’s heartbreaking is that many of those deaths could have been prevented by being careful in the sun. The current generation has so much more information about the risks of UV radiation than previous ones – so there’s no excuse not to be sun smart
ABoUT SKIN CANCER
New Zealand has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world.
Skin cancer is by far the most commonly diagnosed cancer in New Zealand, with an estimated 1800 new melanoma and 45,000 non-melanoma cases discovered every year.
New Zealand has one of the highest melanoma death rates in the world – around 300 people die from it each year.
oelanoma is the most common cancer in 20 to 40-year-olds but 70% of melanoma sufferers are over 50.
Excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation before the age of 20 significantly increases a person’s risk of developing melanoma later in life.
Skin cancer costs the New Zealand health system $33 million a year, making it one of the most expensive cancers in terms of expense to taxpayers.
oost skin cancers are easy to prevent and diagnose.
oELANooA: WHAT To LooK FoR
The first sign is often a new spot or changes to an existing mole or freckle. It may change in size, shape and/or colour, and you may notice this change over several weeks or months, rather than days.
Normal freckles and moles usually have an even colour and a smooth edge. A melanoma often has an irregular edge or surface. It may be spotted with other colours, such as brown, black, blue, red, white and/or light grey.
A freckle or mole that itches or bleeds by itself is sometimes (but not always) a melanoma. For more information, visit www.sunsmart.org.nz
YoU CAN’T TURN BACK THE CLoCK
If you were sunburned as a child or teenager, you’ve got a greater chance of developing melanoma, so you need to be vigilant. Check your skin frequently (including in winter) for suspicious-looking moles and freckles, and get someone else to check areas you can’t see, like your neck and back.
See your GP or a dermatologist regularly for a professional full body check but if you notice something you’re concerned about in the meantime, don’t wait until your next scheduled appointment – get it looked at straight away. If diagnosed early enough, melanoma can be successfully treated. If it is left to spread, it can be fatal.
TANNING oYTHS
People who tan easily are less likely to have damaged skin.
False: Any exposure to UV radiation has the potential to cause skin damage. Burning and peeling are signs some damage has already occurred – even if it turns into a tan.
You can’t get sunburnt through glass.
False: Glass reduces the transmission of UV radiation but does not completely block it. You can still get 10% of UV rays through glass. If you spend long periods in a car, or next to a window that gets direct sunlight, you should use some form of sun protection.
There’s no such thing as a healthy tan.
True: Having a tan does not improve your body’s ability to protect yourself from the sun’s harmful rays.
You can still get sunburnt if it’s not sunny outside.
True: Some ultraviolet radiation penetrates cloud cover. UV radiation levels can be high if the sky is partly cloudy and reflection from clouds can cause it to increase.
DID YoU KNoW?
It is not the sun’s heat that burns you but ultraviolet radiation (UVR). This is why you can still get sunburned when it’s not all that hot.
Don’t rely on sunscreen alone. Wear sun protective clothing (shirts with collars and long sleeves), a broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses. Wear sunscreen on exposed skin, stay in the shade whenever possible and avoid being outdoors in the middle of the day.
There is no such thing as a “safe” tan – any change in the colour of your skin is a sign that damage has taken place.
All types of sunburn, whether serious or mild, can cause permanent and irreversible skin damage and lay the groundwork for skin cancer later in life.
IT HAPPENED To oE
NAoE: ANNE ACKERoAN
AGE: 56
Anne Ackerman was at a meeting of the oelanoma Foundation in December last year when she noticed a small spot on her leg. It was only tiny but had a dark brown speck that was a different colour to the rest of it and, as the head of the foundation at the time, Anne knew that wasn’t a good sign.
“I said to a surgeon on the board,’Can you have a look at this for me?’,” she recalls.
He advised her to get it checked, and her specialist removed it. When the results of a biopsy came back it was bad news.
“The surgeon said to me, ‘I can’t believe I’m telling you this – you’ve got melanoma.’
“It was a real shock – you never think it’s going to happen to you. But I wouldn’t have known what to look for if I didn’t work for the foundation.”
Her melanoma was able to be removed – along with a chunk of her leg – before it had a chance to spread.
“I’ve got a 95% chance of being clear of melanoma. If I hadn’t caught it so early, things could have been very different,” explains Anne.
Anne says she had a typical Kiwi childhood, which involved spending lots of time outdoors and getting sunburned from time to time. That past exposure appears to have taken its toll and Anne now tries to be extra vigilant, using plenty of sunscreen and staying out of the sun.
She encourages other people to be careful too.
“oy experience has made me realise that anybody can get melanoma. We all need to be careful.”