Highland health experts warn of sun danger
Sue Restan, who had skin cancer and recovered.
A woman who suffered skin cancer is helping heath chiefs promote a safe sun message.
Sue Restan found out the hard way when she was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer.
NHS Highland is stressing too many rays can lead to the development of skin cancer — non-melanoma skin cancer and the more serious malignant melanoma — both of which are preventable.
Sue (51), of Easter Ross, explained most of her leisure time was spent outside and she never gave any real thought to covering up or using sun screen.
"I also liked to sunbathe when I got the chance and I knew all about the links between exposure to the sun and skin cancer, but I guess I just thought it wouldn’t happen to me," she said.
Early in 2009, she noticed a small mole on her left forearm and it was a bit darker than usual and went to her doctor to check it out and was immediately referred to the skin clinic at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
"I still thought it would be nothing when I went along to have a biopsy so I was totally shocked when I was later told that it was a malignant melanoma that would eventually have killed me if I hadn’t had it removed," she added.
Now she wears long sleeved tops and trousers or uses a high factor sun cream and a sun hat.
Consultant dermatologist and head of service, Dr James Vestey, explains there is a clear relationship between excessive exposure to Ultraviolet (UV) radiation and sunburn, premature skin ageing, eye damage and skin cancer.
"The most important things we can do to protect ourselves are to keep out of the sun at the hottest times of the day during the summer — 11am to 3pm from March to October — to cover up and use a high factor sun screen for the small areas of skin which have to be exposed and to wear good quality sunglasses," he said.
"We also need to recognise the changes in our skin that should be checked in case they are early signs of skin cancer."
Dr Vestey advises to look out for moles which arise after puberty or longstanding moles which change to become asymmetrical and irregular in shape or the surface contour has an irregular, rather than a smooth border and/or irregular or asymmetrical distribution of colour.
He added moles larger than 6mm, the size of the blunt end of a pencil, are more likely to be sinister, and itching, bleeding or a burning sensation may be worrying signs.
Any change in a mole, freckle or normal patch of skin that happens quickly, over weeks or months, should be checked by a GP.
In 2008, there were 1,164 new cases of malignant melanoma diagnosed in Scotland, resulting in 171 deaths.
Dr Vestey said: "Sadly there is no such thing as ‘a safe sun tan’, especially in people under the age of 20 and those with Celtic skin types."