Summer Melanoma Threat Awaits

By Marcus Braid on December 1, 2015 in News

When Sarah Jones walked into the Coogee Skin Cancer Clinic a couple of weeks ago, as she does at this time every year, she received the shock of her life.

“I went in for my yearly check-up, like I always do, and I had a mole that was a bit irregularly shaped and it had changed colour,” Ms Jones said.

“I had a biopsy of it done, and thank God I did, because it was a melanoma.”

With summer fast approaching and the local beaches flooded most weekends, the danger of melanoma will again be evident. Australia has the highest incidence of melanoma in the world, and it is the third most common form of cancer in Australian men and women, making up 10 percent of all cancers.

“It’s scary to think that if I waited who knows how long – months or a year – I would have probably died,” Ms Jones said. “It was a wake-up call, that’s for sure.

“It’s one of those things that everyone always postpones. You think you will book it in soon, but you don’t do it.

“I was on Facebook one day and one of my friends put a photo up of her and she had a big cut on her face. It just reminded me. I saw the photo and I’m so lucky I did.”

Ms Jones said she also follows an organisation called ‘Beard Season’ on Instagram, which challenges people to book a skin check, and aims to turn beards into life-changing conversation starters.

“They’re a good reminder,” Ms Jones said. “I get my skin checked every year. Most of the time I will get a reminder, and it will take another couple of months to finally go there.

“I think by law now I have to get my skin checked every six months for the next five years, and then after that it will hopefully be yearly.”
Melanoma is often identifiable at an early stage when simple treatment can result in complete cure.

Professor Graham Mann, Research Director at the Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA), warned that the threat of melanoma was ever-present.

“With 11,500 new cases of melanoma diagnosed each year in Australia and new cases still on the rise, it is pretty important that we are all sun aware and sun safe, by protecting our skin when we go outside to enjoy the summer,” he said.

“One person still dies from melanoma every six hours in Australia and at MIA we are working hard to change this devastating statistic.”
Ms Jones said she had learnt the vital importance of sun protection the hard way.

“Sun safety is very important and making sure you slip, slop, slap,” she said. “Everyone should be getting a yearly check-up, no matter their type of skin. Anyone can get skin cancer.”

Overexposure to ultraviolet light (UV) causes 95 percent of melanoma, and prevention is the key to avoiding the deadly disease. Seek shade, especially in the hottest part of the day, wear sun-protective clothing that covers your back, shoulders, arms and legs, don’t forget to wear a broad-rimmed hat, and apply a broad spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30+ every two hours and after swimming or exercise.