Nearly one in four women risk skin cancer by not wearing sun tan lotion abroad. As the holiday season is fast approaching, a survey reveals almost one in four women won’t be wearing sun tan lotion when they go abroad this year.
According to Macmillan Cancer Support even on a sunny day, a shocking 22% of women don’t wear protective lotion when they’re abroad in a hot country. This is regardless of the increased risks of skin cancer.
Of those who said they never wear sun tan lotion, when asked why, 24% say they don’t sun burn, 14% think sun tan lotion is too expensive and 12% believe it doesn’t work.
This is despite the fact that four in five (79%) surveyed had been badly sunburnt in the past, which can lead to skin damage and skin cancer. Worryingly, nearly half (45%) believed that after sun lotion corrected at least part of the damage done to their skin by being burnt.
Carol Goodman, a Macmillan Information Nurse specialist, says:
“As people are preparing to go abroad for their annual holiday, it is very concerning that nearly a quarter of British women are putting themselves at risk of skin cancer by not wearing any suntan lotion abroad. Over two and a half thousand people die of skin cancer every year and so it is a real issue.
“You should put on your sun tan lotion on half an hour before going into the sun, let it soak in and then apply another layer. The lotion should be applied thickly to your skin or the protection you get may only be a quarter of what the bottle suggests. It should be reapplied every hour and you should avoid the sun between 11am and 3pm.”