What's the truth about skin cancer?

And why not?

Sun brings us life right? Absolutely true. We need it to make us feel happy, it regulates our body clock and gives us our daily dose of vitamin D. But there's always something to spoil our fun in the sun isn't there? You see, sun causes skin damage, and this and can cause cancer.

Our reporter Dr Andrew Rochford will find out how to get the goodies we want from the sun and protect ourselves from the bad things at the same time.

We can start by being aware of what's in those golden rays, says the Cancer Council's Susan Greenbank.

"The sun actually emits ultraviolet radiations. That comes down in a couple of forms — UVA or UVB — and that ends up penetrating the surface of the skin and causes premature aging, skin damage and ultimately, skin cancer," says Susan.

Andrew: "So how long can we spend outside in the sun before we start to damage our skin?"
Susan: "Well Andrew, you've been outside in the sun now for about 10 minutes unprotected, so you're already starting to get skin damage and sunburn."
Andrew: "Are you serious?"
Susan: "Yeah, I am."

No wonder we've got problems. In fact, Susan says that one in every two Australians will end up with skin cancer. That's a scary figure, but how scary?

The test

Well, there are three people who might be in for the shock of their lives. Forty-nine year-old Helen's been baking herself on the Gold Coast for as long as she can remember. "I don't really like sunscreen. I don't like the feel of it," she says.

Neither does Helen's 16-year-old son Jeremy: "Sometimes I stay in the sun all day long and get really burnt."

And our third sun worshipper is 23-year-old Sarah, another one who's not a big sunscreen fan: "I get put off a bit because I like to tan as quickly as possible …"

To suss out the damage we're sending our three sun-lovers off to see Dr Michael Kimlin from Queensland's University of Technology. Michael's pioneered a radical new way to track skin cancer.

His digital camera is fitted with a UV flash that shows up otherwise invisible patches of melanin, or pigmentation, that'll show up on the surface years from now. So Michael's images will show what our sun-bunnies' skin could look like in the future.

This could be any one of us. So how bad is that damage going to be?

Results

Now the big moment has arrived.

First up are the photos of 23-year old Sarah and 16-year old Jeremy. They may be young, but they've both got pigmentation build-up from sun exposure.

Sarah: "It was a bit of a shock to me to see what's going on under my layers of skin."

Helen's skin, after decades in the sun and not using sunscreen, has got the lot — pigmentation and serious signs of premature aging.

Helen: "I was quite shocked to say the truth …"

To find out more, we send the three of them along to see dermatologist David Francis.

Helen: "What can I do about the damage I've done to my face? I'm nearing my 50s and I don't really want to look like an old prune."

"You can try and really limit your sun exposure from now on. There're other things we can do, medical treatments, creams, light therapies, lasers etc that can help tidy up some of this solar damage and also try and possibly limit your likelihood of getting skin cancers in the future," says David.

David decides Helen's skin needs a closer look: "You've got quite a large, dark mole on your back here that looks a little bit suspicious, that it may be thinking about turning into something, so we should sample that, make sure there's no chance of skin cancer there."

A fortnight later Helen had the mole cut out of her back. Just goes to show how important it is for all of us to get our skin checked out regularly.

Helen: "It did set me back a bit and I think I will be changing my routine a bit."

Smart thinking, Helen. Any mole that bleeds or changes needs to be seen by a doctor. And be on the lookout for basal cell carcinomas. Left untreated they can do you a lot of damage.

The same goes for squamous cell carcinomas. They usually turn up in places that get a lot of sun, like your face, and ears.

Worst of all are the deadliest skin cancers, malignant melanomas. They kill a thousand Australians every year.

Conclusion

The best way to stop those skin cancers starting is to be sun smart:

• Use the highest SPF, or sun protection factor you can find — 15 is good, but 30-plus is better.

• To get maximum benefit, you have to put it on 20 minutes before going in the sun.

• Use about one teaspoon of sunscreen per limb.

• Reapply it every two hours and after swimming.

Now the big question about being outside on a cloudy day — are we at just as much risk of getting burnt on those days?

"We are. It's a bit of a myth that you can't get burnt when it's cloudy. In actual fact, your risk is pretty much the same," advises Susan.

So you're still at risk on a cloudy day, and don't think you'll escape by sitting in the shade — you still get 50 percent of the exposure.

If possible, stay out of the sun when it's at its strongest — between 10am and 2pm during the day.

We're Australian and sun is part of our culture, but it's a bit of a no-brainer really. When you're going to be out in the sun for longer than a few minutes, slap on your sunscreen 30-plus, wear a hat and sunnies and try to wear suitable clothing.

Because, if you don't start doing this stuff, you run the risk of skin cancer and that's a place you don't want to go.

Fact facts

• A lot of people prefer the solarium for topping up their tan. But is it safer than tanning in the sun? No — they can emit UV radiation up to five times stronger than the midday sun. If you're desperate to brown up a little, get a spray-on tan! Better still, start a fashion trend and stay pale!