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Leona Lewis: 'It's vital to cover up.'
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Shun the sun
Helen Tither16/ 6/2008
WE would all like to inject a bit of celebrity glamour into our summer holidays. Whether that be copying the barely-there bikinis of the Hollywood jetset, or the oversized shades of Manchester's soap starlets.
Unfortunately, not every celebrity fashion and beauty trend is good for our health. Particularly when it comes to getting that golden summer glow.
Dangerous
Over recent years, getting a celebrity-style tan has become something of a status symbol. But if that involves staying out too long in the sun you could be playing dangerous games with your health.
In fact, the fashion for getting a tan - and our ever-increasing love of jetting off to sunnier climes on holiday - has led to an alarming rise in skin cancer cases. Now the commonest form of cancer, cases have doubled every ten years.
And, says David Fitzgerald, consultant dermatologist at Hope Hospital in Salford, that is mainly down to sun exposure.
"The rate of skin cancer continues to increase - mainly because of people's sunburn and holiday habits," he explains. "Although genetics can play a part, sun damage is the main cause of skin cancer."
Habits
With summer holidays fast approaching - and even a recent interlude of sunnier climes here in Manchester - it's time to start thinking about your sunbathing habits. Particularly if you are under the age of 18.
"People often don't understand that a long time can pass between sun exposure and skin cancer developing," says David. "People who have had severe sunburn in childhood may not develop skin cancer until their 30s or 40s. With sunburn in the first 18 years of life being particularly dangerous.
"The problem is the damage is done young."
So, if you are a fan of tanning - and love to spend hours lounging around in the sun or on a sunbed - you might not notice the effects now. But you are storing up a dangerous risk for your future health.
Which is why the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT) have recently launched their "Shunburn" campaign - designed to raise awareness among young people of the dangers of tanning.
Recent research carried out by the trust on 1,000 teenagers revealed a serious lack of awareness about the dangers of staying out in the sun.
A quarter of teens believed that using tanning oil or playing in the swimming pool protects their sun from burning. While one of the main reasons they get burnt is they often simply forget to take suncream with them.
Together with X Factor superstar Leona Lewis, they have come up with a simple routine to help keep you safer in the sun. And that's one celebrity trend worth copying.
'Respect your skin'
"I'm proud to be supporting Teenage Cancer Trust's Shunburn campaign," says Leona. "TCT is a charity that I hold very close to my heart and this campaign is so important because young people really need to know how to stay safe in the sun.
"I want to encourage teenagers to realise that whether you're in the UK or abroad, it's vital to cover up and use a sun cream with an SPF of 30 or above. It's time to respect your skin!"
Bury television star Gemma Atkinson, of Hollyoaks fame, is also backing the campaign. A great fundraiser for the TCT charity, she wants to help reduce risks of teenagers developing cancer after recently meeting some local teenagers with cancer.
"I visited Teenage Cancer Trust's unit at Christies in Manchester recently and I was inspired by the patients I met who all had such zest for life," says Gemma. "I was amazed by their positive attitudes, despite going through such a terrible ordeal - I want to do as much as I can to support them and make sure they have the best possible experience during their treatment and afterwards.
"The Shunburn campaign is amazing, it's so important to get the message across to young people about wearing suncream, even in this country when you don't think the sun is shining!
"I'd encourage everyone to sign up for TCT's text alerts - they're really great, they text you to remind you to put on suncream when it's hot and sunny - I'll be signing up! It's so easy and they're totally free - all you have to do is text `Shun' to 80231 - it's that simple."
Safety
Having competed in the Australian jungle for
I'm A Celebrity... Gemma knows only too well the importance of keeping safe in the sun.
Channel M's resident GP Dr Binoj Nair, of Same Day Doctor in the city centre, says we could learn a lot from Australia's sun safety campaigns.
"As a country we are not particularly clued up on skin cancer," he says.
"In Australia, where they had hugely high rates among their ageing population they now have the slip slap slop campaign which has been amazingly successful. Slip on a t-shirt, slap on a hat and slop on the sunscreen.
"In this country, when there's a few days of sunshine people want to get out there and get as much tan as they can. Some people even think because the sun doesn't feel as hot it's not as dangerous - but you can damage your skin even on a cloudy day."
The main signs of skin cancer developing include any major changes in your skin, particularly looking for changes in the size, shape, or colour of moles.
Although, caught early, Dr Fitzgerald says it is highly treatable so it is best to see a GP as soon as you develop any concerns.
But, of course, prevention is always better than cure - so stay safe in the sun and help reduce those skin cancer risks.
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