Skin cancer claims the lives of 100 Irish people every year…

When it comes to applying sunscreen, the majority of Irish people are brutal. We just don’t do it. We don’t like waiting around for it to dry, we hate the process or we want to catch some rays in an attempt to get rid of this pale skin we’ve been blessed with.

That being said, it’s definitely time we started making more of an effort with the factor 30. Why? Well according to some new figures, skin cancer is killing 100 Irish people every single year.

The Irish Daily Mirror reports that when it comes to skin cancer, Irish people just can’t take any risks. You may have heard various skin cancer related facts being bandied about the place lately because May marks the start of Melanoma Awareness Month. But these facts are so important, they bear repeating.

Did you know that one in eight men will develop skin cancer at some point in their lives? Did you know that men are more at risk that women? Did you know that 700 malignant melanomas are diagnosed in Ireland each year?

That’s a lot to think about. The one thing that we can all agree on is the fact that the above statistics prove skin cancer is dangerous. Unfortunately, us Irish people tend to think it’s not  as serious as other forms of cancer.

“It is true that 97 per cent of skin cancer is curable, if caught in time. But we need to tackle the growing incidence in Ireland,” said Mike Malone, who runs the only melanoma detection clinic in Ireland.

While skin cancer, or melanoma, can occur in virtually anyone, Irish people have a skin type that is more susceptible to the disease.  And because of this, we now have the fourth worst skin cancer rates in Europe. Not good.

Most of us possess either skin type one or skin type two. Which means we either burn as soon as we look at a bit of sunshine, or we burn and then peel off a layer of skin to reveal a tan – both of these skin types make us prime targets for melanoma to develop.

Now, we know that the weather in Ireland isn’t exactly conductive when it comes to developing a tan – we have grey skies more than we have sunshine, but apparently grey skies can be just as dangerous. Mainly because up to 90 per cent of UV rays are able to pass through clouds. So even if it’s a crap day outside, you should still be putting on some sunscreen.

Experts suggest that as well as using a broad spectrum sunscreen that contains UVA and UVB protection, you should also regularly check your skin for any changes such as lumps, growths or dodgy looking moles.

For more information about skin cancer, visit the Mole Screening Clinic website here.