Medical professionals recommend that you get to know your own skin and check your skin regularly. If you notice that something is changing, or it appears to be a different colour, starts to bleed and doesn't heal properly, you should go and see your GP or dermatologist as soon as possible.
For the untrained eye, a melanoma or skin cancer can be very difficult and sometimes impossible to spot. This is the reason why you should also visit your GP or dermatologist once a year for a skin check.
Early detection of skin cancers is very important, especially for melanoma, as the survival rate is much greater when caught early. Research shows that it can sometimes be as little as a matter of months between when melanoma is first detected to the point where it metastasizes and becomes a lot more difficult to treat.
Dr. Craig Sinclair "wants to reinforce the importance of prevention. It makes the world of difference if you can detect skin cancer early."
He continues by saying "My best advice is to continue to choose sun protection whenever there is an ultraviolet (UV) index greater than 3."
"But once again, just because it's getting cooler, doesn't mean you through sun protection out the window. Don't be fooled by temperature, it's not related to UV." Dr. Sinclair is Chair of the Skin Cancer Committee for Cancer Council Australia.
The ABCDE has been created to help you define what to look out for:
You can find out more about Solbari's certified UPF50+ sun protective range by clicking the blue links below:
The SOLBARI Team
This blog post is for information purpose only, always consult your medical professional.
Your skin is your largest organ and has a long memory. Sun exposure and ultraviolet (UV) damage is cumulative throughout your life. Research shows that sun damage contributes to more than 90% of wrinkles, brown spots, premature skin aging as well as precancerous and cancerous skin lesions.
Limiting sun exposure is very important. As the UV rays cause the most damage to the skin.
It often takes many years and sometimes decades for the effects to become visible.
But the good news is that taking care of your skin from now onwards may be able to help you to reduce the probability of skin cancers and minimise skin aging.