Sunworshippers fail to heed cancer warning behind health campaigns

NEARLY 90 per cent of British adults admit they have suffered from sunburn, despite increased warnings about the dangers of skin cancer, campaigners say.

Almost half of people questioned by Cancer Research UK said they had experienced pain as result of being in the sun.

And the research found that men were more at risk from the dangers of the sun, with fewer than half (47 per cent) using at least factor 15 sunscreen, compared to two thirds (66 per cent) of women, to protect their skin.

Statistics show rising rates of skin cancer in recent years. In Scotland about 520 men are diagnosed with malignant melanoma – the most deadly form of skin cancer – each year, along with around 650 women.

Over the past 25 years in Britain, rates of malignant melanoma have risen faster than any of the most common cancers in males and females.

The YouGov survey revealed that nearly all Brits (96 per cent) were aware that getting sunburnt increase the risk of skin cancer.

But for many reasons, people are still putting themselves at risk of skin cancer by getting sunburnt, the charity warned.

The survey showed that 20 per cent of Britons often did not plan for the weather and got caught without protection, while more than a fifth (22 per cent) wanted to be tanned.

Caroline Cerny, Cancer Research UK’s SunSmart campaign manager, said: “There’s a big gap between what people know and how they behave in the sun. And this report highlights one of the challenges we face in halting the rise in melanoma rates.

“These results indicate that men seem to be worse than women at protecting their skin in the sun.

“Traditionally it’s been women who want to sport a suntan, but this survey suggests men crave this look as well but are forgetting to protect their skin. Sunburn is a sign that the DNA in your skin has been damaged and people know that getting sunburn can increase the risk of skin cancer but many don’t bother to protect their skin.”