'˜No such thing as safe tan' as Hugh Jackman reveals fifth skin cancer scare
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said adults need between six and eight teaspoons (35ml) of sun cream per application and should always aim for an SPF of 15 or higher.
It comes as Jackman took to Twitter and Instagram to warn fans of the dangers of not wearing sun cream.
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Hide AdHe also appealed to people to get regular skin checks as he posted a picture of himself with a plaster on his nose after having a fifth skin cancer removed. The Australian actor, who starred as the Wolverine in the X-Men film series, said: “An example of what happens when you don’t wear sunscreen. Basal Cell. The mildest form of cancer but serious, nonetheless. PLEASE USE SUNSCREEN and get regular check-ups.”
Jackman had his first skin cancer removed in 2013 after his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, suggested he should get a mole on his nose checked.
At the time, he wrote on social media: “Deb said to get the mark on my nose checked. Boy, was she right! I had a Basal Cell Carcinoma. Please don’t be foolish like me. Get yourself checked. And USE sunscreen!!!”
In its new guidance, Nice said “there is no safe or healthy way to get a tan from sunlight”, adding that a tan provides little protection against further exposure to the sun.
And it said while people should expose their arms and legs to the sun for short periods in order to build up vitamin D, this had to be balanced against the risks of skin cancer.
It stopped short of recommending a specific amount of time people should stay out without sun cream to build up vitamin D, but said experts agreed that “short (less than the time it takes for skin to redden or burn), frequent periods of sunlight exposure are best for vitamin D synthesis”.
It said this type of exposure is also “less likely to result in skin cancer”.
Many adults in Britain have low levels of vitamin D (23 per cent aged 19 to 64 and 21 per cent aged 65 and over).