Melanoma and suncare

Hi   and a very warm welcome to the online community 

I was diagnosed with melanoma 4 years ago and found the first summer difficult. I tan easily and had foolishly thought that I wouldn't get any form of skin cancer. 

It is important to stay safe in the sun and the following is the general advice:

• Stay out of the sun during the strongest time of the day (11am to 3pm) between April and October inclusive in the UK and in all months of the year in any other part of the world
• When going outside wear long sleeved tops and trousers/skirts made from natural fibres like cotton
• Wear a broad brimmed hat (brim should be at least 3 inches) and sun glasses
• Sit in the shade and never sunbathe (or sun bake as the Australians call it!)
• Any part of your body that is not covered, ie face, neck, back of hands should have a sun protection cream of SPF 50 that is effective against both UVA and UVB rays
• Re-apply the sunscreen every couple of hours or immediately after swimming
• Never use sunbeds
• Don't use sunscreen instead of covering up

I now have a selection of hats to choose from when I go out and I also decided that I now needed a whole new wardrobe so went on a shopping spree. So, every cloud has a silver lining!

So to answer your first question, you should cover up rather than use sunscreen, but apply sunscreen to any parts you can't cover ie back of hands and your face.

You should be extra careful anywhere that you have had surgery as the new skin there is more at risk of being damaged by the sun.

Unfortunately you can get melanoma anywhere on your body and, as we have had a melanoma, we are more at risk of another than the general population.

You can still enjoy being outside but you just have to be more aware.

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