Every year, Cancer Council Australia and the Australasian College of Dermatologists come together for National Skin Cancer Action Week. And this year, the awareness week will be on 17-23 November 2019.
What is National Skin Cancer Action Week?
National Skin Cancer Action Week aims to spread the awareness on reducing risks of skin cancer. This is possible by using these five forms of sun protection:
- slip on sun-protective clothing
- slop on SPF30 (or higher) broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen
- slap on a broad-brimmed hat
- seek shade
- slide on sunglasses
Skin cancer has become a growing problem, including in Australia. In fact, 2 in 3 Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer by age 70, thus the importance of reminding everyone to use sun protection and of the importance of early skin cancer detection for all Australians. According to Cancer Council, more than 2,000 people in Australia die from skin cancer each year, which costs more than $1 billion per year in treatment. This cost has also been increasing substantially over the past few years.
But the good news is that most skin cancers are easily preventable by the use of good sun protection. A combination of the five forms sun protection, along with getting to know your skin and regularly checking for any changes, are the keys to reducing your skin cancer risk.
What is skin cancer?
Skin cancer occurs when skin cells are damaged, for example, by overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. There are three main types of skin cancer:
- basal cell carcinoma
- squamous cell carcinoma
- melanoma - the most dangerous form of skin cancer
For more information about skin cancer, as well as the National Skin Cancer Action Week 2019, visit cancer.org.au.
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