ARE YOU DYING FOR A SUNTAN?

As the searing heat continues, most of us are lapping up the sunshine. But doctors are warning we will pay a high price in later life...

IT’S something we don’t see that much of, but it’s official: Ireland is now in the full throes of a heatwave.

But due to our general lack of sun, we’re putting ourselves at risk every time there’s a burst of good weather.

Despite our regular moans about not getting enough sunshine here, levels of skin cancer in Ireland are actually on the rise.

Dr Niki Ralph, a consultant dermatologist with La RochePosay, says it could be our regular lack of sun that causes us to throw caution to the wind whenever rays do appear. And most of us leave the sun tan lotion for when we are on the Costas, rather than applying it regularly here during the summer months.

‘Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Ireland,’ she explains. ‘We had over 10,000 cases of non-melanoma cancer and 1,000 cases of melanoma cancer diagnosed in 2014. These are the most up-to-date figures we have, but that is 11,000 people in one year . In young people it is the fourth most common cancer — that is pretty high up the ladder.

‘Once you have a blistering sunburn it increases your risk of getting skin cancer. Hopefully it will be one of the skin cancers that is curable and can be removed by cutting it out, but obviously melanoma is the one that can spread inside the body. If you go and repeatedly burn yourself, you are at a much higher risk of getting one of these.’

In Ireland we are very much aware of other cancers — for example, people make an effort to stop smoking to avoid lung cancer.

BUT when the sun is out, we don’t take enough steps to protect ourselves. ‘One in six men and one in nine women will develop skin cancer over their lifetime so it is pretty common,’ Niki says.

‘People don’t talk about this as much — some people haven’t even heard of melanoma — yet the month of May is melanoma awareness month.

‘I think it is because we are so deprived of sun that the minute we see it here, everyone strips their clothes off and out we run and we get burnt within the first few days, whereas in Australia people would be looking at you thinking you were mad.’

In fact, we should all be protecting our skin daily, especially during the summer, rather than saving the SPF for our foreign holidays.

‘The thing that the Irish have to get their heads around is that there is only one sun,’ Niki says.

‘Everyone thinks it’s all temperature related and unless it’s 25C to 30C you’re not doing any damage. But in reality that’s got nothing to do with it. It is to do with the UV index and the riskiest months in Ireland are May to September, but there are UV rays all year round.

‘If you really want to protect your skin and avoid wrinkles you should wear sunscreen every day.

‘But most people in Ireland don’t wear sunscreen at all at home and keep it for their holidays in Spain and the Canaries.’

The typical Irish complexion is not made for the sun.

‘Most Irish people burn first and tan poorly,’ Niki says. ‘We tend to have type one or type two skin, meaning we only burn or we burn and then tan. We are really not supposed to be out there sunbathing.

‘You need to know your skin type and look at your complexion. Do you have pale skin and green or blue eyes? Have you got red or blonde hair? If you do, you will be at a higher risk of burning.’

In fact, if you have any kind of a tan then you’ve already done yourself some damage.

‘You shouldn’t be tanning at all,’ Niki insists. ‘The only thing a tan is is sun damage. Your melanocytes are your

pigment cells and if they change and grow irregularly, that is skin cancer, that is melanoma.

‘When the UV radiation hits your skin, your cells line up along the skin’s surface to essentially prevent the rays getting through to your DNA and that is what a tan is.

‘So the more tanned you are, the more damage, essentially.’

Skincare brand La Roche-Posay has teamed up with the Irish Cancer Society to call for people to be extra vigilant during Ireland’s current heatwave.

The largest increase in nonmelanoma skin cancer incidence from 1994 to 2011 was among young people and Niki is urging parents to teach their children good sun sense by setting an example and explaining the dangers of sun exposure.

‘The thing for parents is to start young and follow the five ‘S’ words. So slip on your T-shirt, slop on your sunscreen, slap on your hat, slide on your sunglasses and seek the shade.’

Children should not go out without a good-quality sun cream that protects against both UVA and UVB rays and is also factor 50, such as Anthelios DermoPaediatrics (€11.99), which also comes in a handy pocket-size for when you are out and about.

‘Make sure you put a broad spectrum sunscreen on children 15 minutes before they go outside,’ Niki says.

‘For kids, you want factor 50. Children should not be wearing anything less than that, they should have the highest factor. As well as a hat and sunglasses, they can also wear the UV protective clothing in and out of the water with vests and longer shorts to keep them covered up.

‘Children shouldn’t be allowed to play directly in peak sun between 11am and 3pm because that is when UV rays are the strongest. You can’t keep children in, but have them in a shaded area during this time as opposed to being in direct sunlight.’

‘Developing sun safe habits from childhood is an essential part of safeguarding future generations from the harmful effects of the sun. As a consultant dermatologist, I am keenly aware of the vulnerabilities of the skin when exposed to UV rays all year round.

‘Further education with regard to the danger of UV exposure from an early age is necessary to empower tomorrow’s generation to be sun smart every day.’

And of course, as the youthful faces of some celebrities testify, staying out of the sun is the best anti-ageing device you’ll ever find.

‘The biggest thing you can do to prevent wrinkles is put on a sunscreen every day of the year,’ Niki says. ‘UVA, the sun ray that is present all year round, is the biggest cause of wrinkles.

‘You see that in celebrities, the likes of Nicole Kidman who is really pale because she has stayed out of the sun for decades, but she looks a lot better than others her age who didn’t. Those who don’t have a dark tan are the ones who are protecting themselves.’

FOR more information and advice see laroche-posay.ie/sun