Hi
It would be lovely if we could get sunscreen on prescription but I don't think it's possible. Certainly no SCNS or consultant I've seen over the 4 years since I was diagnosed with melanoma has ever suggested that I could get sunscreen on prescription.
I have found the following from a Berkshire Clinical Commissioning Group and I would imagine that if one group says this, all the others will as well. However, you could always ask your GP or SCNS and let us know what they say.
"Sunscreens may only be prescribed on the NHS for patients whose skin is abnormally sensitive to solar UV radiation. This may be due to genetic disorders, such as albinism or vitiligo; skin disease such as rosacea or photosensitive dermatitis; or systemic disease such as lupus erythematosus. Any other skin conditions not listed above are not suitable for prescribing on the NHS and patients should be advised to purchase these products themselves."
I've had a look back through the previous posts on this topic and it looks like in older posts, mainly those over 5 years old, some people have said that they get sunscreen on prescription but I haven't been able to find any reference in newer posts.
If you speak to your GP or SCNS do let us know what they say. In the meantime I'm going to ask in the ask a nurse section of the online community and see what the specialist nurses say.
I'll report back!
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
Hi
I posted the question about the possibility of getting sunscreen on prescription in the ask a nurse section of the online community and this was the response I got:
"Getting sunscreen on prescription would seem fair given you are higher risk of developing another melanoma. However, from what I can see this isn’t available to everyone. It is usually only available to people for whom sunscreen is a daily necessity. It would be worth contacting your specialist or GP to see if you would meet their criteria to prescribe sunscreen. Sometimes it depends on your treatment or what products are available as to whether they would be able to prescribe you the cream you would need.
Unfortunately, I’m unable to say for certain whether your doctors would be able to prescribe sunscreen for you, but it is definitely worth asking them the question."
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
