As the summer is well underway in the northern hemisphere, I was very surprised to find out that Britain has more skin cancer deaths than Australia (yes, the one with the ozone layer hole)!!!!!
What is even more outrageous is the amount of people out on the streets in this unusually hot and sunny weather without sunglasses and, possibly, without applying sun cream!
You see, statistics show that on average 7850 cases of malignant melanoma are diagnosed in Australia every year, compared with 5990 in the Britain, however whilst only 1000 people die of the disease Down Under, the number of deaths in Britain amounts to 1600 per year.
The reason for this difference? 90% of cases in Oz are cured as they are detected so early. Australians are also much more aware of the risks of cancer and take necessary precautions (there are even free sun cream pumps in some public spaces as I recall from my time spent there).
Perhaps it is the constant lack of sunshine that has put many Britons in a state of ignorance. After a long winter and a very cold and wet spring many have rushed outdoors to catch some sun rays.
Of course there is nothing wrong with that. Sunshine uplifts moods, provides much needed vitamin D and helps lower blood pressure.
What I am suggesting here is that people enjoy the sun responsibly by taking the following precautions:
- Use a sun cream which has at least a factor 30 UVA protection and a five star UVB protection.
- Invest in high quality sunglasses which also have UVA and UVB protection (yes, your eyes can burn too, the signs of which are redness and itchiness after a long day in the sun).
- Avoid staying in the sun for too long and reapply sun cream every two hours or after bathing.
Off you go now. Enjoy the sun before the rain starts pouring!
Stay safe
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