Thought the best sunblock was the shade

I would be hard pressed to find anyone we knew in OZ who had not had a mole or cancer removed, as people have said tho almost any thing will be removed as a precaution. 2 GP's in our surgery left and set up skin clinics just to remove cancers or moles full time.

I had 2 removed, white skin blonde hair, never ever sunbathe, one was on my neck, Doctor said totally harmless but just to be sure, went for biopsy was the kind that unattended would have grown into my body and spread. One on the side of my wrist was straight out cancer now have a 10 cent piece deep chunk cut out of my wrist. Great big piece of flesh missing to make sure they got it all. My watch had to be taken in 3 holes after the surgery to fit.

Husbands daughter aged 14 first cancer removed, on her back, most people dont realise harmful rays go straight through most clothes, you need sunblock under them not just on the exposed skin. She has dark hair dark skin and dark eyes.

My husbands eyes are damaged by the sun, Oz kids 40 years ago did not wear sunglasses or hats, eye damage is very common.

15 minutes (actually that was often 9 in summer) to get cancer, people can call me negative all they like but the Australian sun is not something anyone should want to go out in.

I completely agree. It's skin damage after all. I never sunbathe in Oz (too boring aprt from anything), but was often working outside so it's the whole slip-slap-slop thing for me. You can feel how strong the sun is in Oz

Because as you say it would be a drain. Sure, prevention is better (and cheaper) than cure, but underfunded healthcare too often has to make difficult triage decisions.

In his case, though, why not simply wait until you've got back to Nundle?

That's the plan. He did actually get them looked at when we were back in November, but there was no time to do anything about them

More DisInformation.

I think that the bit that is reassuring comes down to this:

It says that 374,000 in Australia get skin cancer, which is a high figure, but only 360 die; that's about 1 in every 1,000

Yet compared to the UK, where only 69,000 get skin cancer, but 2,000 die, that's about 28 in every 1,000 that die.

This seems to show that in Australia, the skin cancers get diagnosed, and treated, and therefore less deaths per 1,000 who do get it.

I didn't see figures for melanoma in the UK report so haven't compared those.

Everyone who comes to Australia SHOULD be fully aware that the sun gets HOT, and that the risk of getting skin cancer is high. It may be re-assuring to them that IF they do get it, it can be recognised and treated.

It may also just be reassuring to read the articles, and see what can be done to avoid getting it in the first place :)

That reminds me, the last time i saw my GP, he asked me to make an appointment to have my skin checked, just in case.

Someone actually has a bloody clue at last! Now your in the sunshine - what produces shade?

Glasses, hat. I thought that was the "slip, slap" bit? A widespread clue, I would have thought. (Or not. I'm still just an ignorant Brit for the next few weeks!)

Ignorance is the biggest killer :(

Clouds !! :D

Sounds like my dad... he reckons that suncream is a rip-off and is often wrongly used etc. You end up depending on the suncream, instead of changing your behaviour.
Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun :cool:

Good Boys & Girls. Now what else? Use the white board if it helps.

That is not true either - which is possibly why the figures show more in the UK die of skin cancer. Either that or it is the 12 hours a day for 14 days solid of the hoards of Benidorm-goers

Not all skin cancer is sun caused.