Start your year Sunsmart
A Cancer Council Victoria survey finds that 39% of Victorians had one or more bad sunburn that lasted a day or more recently. In addition, four people each day in January alone last year presented with sunburn to Victorian emergency departments.
This is concerning as a sunburn is a sign that your skin has been seriously damaged by the sun’s UV, and significantly increases your risk of melanoma. Don’t be fooled by suntanned skin either, this is a sign of skin cells in trauma and not a sign of good health (read more about tanning in the article below!).
While your sunburn or tan will may fade, the damage can’t be undone and adds to your lifetime tally of UV damage – ultimately increasing your risk of skin cancer.
As we continue to enjoy the outdoors in term one and four, it is important to do so safely. Please remember to use a combination of sun protection measures (Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide) when outdoors while the UV is three or higher. UV levels will continue to stay above this level until the end of April in Victoria, so don’t let sun protection slide of the agenda as the weather cools down. Make sure you also download the free SunSmart app to check the daily UV levels for your location.
Information from Sunsmart: https://www.sunsmart.com.au/uv-sun-protection/uv/uv-widget
Link to the Education Department Sunsmart policy: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/spag/health/Pages/sun.aspx