Skin cancer is becoming more widespread than ever before. There are now more than 65,000 new cases of non-melanoma and 8,000 new cases of malignant melanoma skin cancer each year in the UK. The UK has more deaths from skin cancer than Australia, even though Australia has more cases.

There are three main types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma , and malignant melanoma. Malignant melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer because the cancer can spread to other organs in the body (metastasis). Melanoma skin cancer is usually pigmented or coloured and is more dangerous. Many moles aren't cancerous, but it's vital to keep an eye on them.

A range of treatment options have proved successful in treating skin cancer. But about 1,800 people still die from malignant melanoma skin cancer annually. Treatment may include surgical removal, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or biological therapy, depending on the type of skin cancer. When skin cancer is found early it is much easier to treat. If diagnosed late, treatment is not usually able to cure the cancer.

Malignant melanoma is one of the most common cancers in people aged 20 - 35, affects indoors workers more than outdoor workers and is more common in women than men. Too much sunburn as a child increases the risk of skin cancer in later life, so children should be protected from the sun. Non-melanoma skin cancer affects men more than women and is more common in those who spend a lot of time outdoors.

Dark skinned people rarely get skin cancer, although they should be careful as well. The people most at risk of skin cancer are those with fair skin, freckles, who burn red in the sun and who spend too much time in the sun without protection. Some inherited skin diseases make those people much more likely to get skin cancer.

In order to tell whether a suspicious skin condition is skin cancer or not you'll probably require a biopsy. If cancerous, it'll be removed by surgery or radiotherapy, depending on its size and type.

Both UVA and UVB can cause skin cancer. In the old days sun creams only blocked out UVB, but nowadays many suncreams block out a lot of UVA as well as UVB.

However, the main concern is that, because sun creams prevent burning, they make people think they can spend much longer in the sun, which will definitely increase their risk of getting skin cancer.