What causes skin cancer?

This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Read more.

The Dermatology Clinic London

Book an appointment

Book a consultation with one of our contributors.

Book appointment

Tips for preventing skin cancer?

Dr. Daniel Glass provides some tips for preventing skin cancer, including avoiding sun beds, wearing a strong factor sun block, and regularly checking your moles for changes.

Transcript
I think the most important thing is to avoid sunburn. And whereas I think it's important to get on with your life and enjoy the things you want to do, whether that's playing tennis or golf or working in the garden, I think actively sunbathing is not a sensible thing to do. And I think you must avoid sunburn at all costs. So you want to be out of the sun in the middle of the day, and be outside at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day. And so you probably need about 15 minutes of sunlight on your forearms and your face in the British summer time to get enough to maintain your Vitamin D levels. In the wintertime in this country, a lot of people would be deficient in Vitamin D and you might need to take supplementation, but in the summertime, we don't actually need very much sunshine. It's very important that you don't burn in the sun, and that's particularly important for your children. And so, you must get on with your life and do what you want to do, play tennis and golf, and be in the garden, but you must avoid the middle of the day, and avoid sunburn at all costs. Another factor that's important about preventing skin cancer is use of sunbeds and solariums. And that is something you just should avoid entirely, and particularly in youngsters. And unfortunately that is the time when people use sunbeds when they're in their late teens and their early 20s. That's something that should always be avoided.

AnswerLists you might like

Acne

Acne causes blackheads, whiteheads and inflammatory lesions. It is a...

14 answers

Botox

9 answers

Eczema

Eczema is an itchy, inflammatory rash. The most common type...

9 answers