People across Cork are being encouraged to visit their GP's or dermatologist this month to have any suspicious skin lesions examined.

The call comes as La Roche-Posay, supporting the Irish Cancer Society commences a month long campaign to raise awareness of the importance of early detection of skin melanoma to help save lives.

With over 5,500 new cases of skin cancer in Ireland each year, Ireland has the highest incidence of skin cancer per head of population in Europe.

Melanoma accounts for about 4 to 5 per cent of all skin cancer cases and it accounts for the most skin cancer-related deaths. It is the second highest cancer diagnosed in the 30-45 year age group and the third highest in the 25- 40 age group. This type of tumour has the most rapid rise in incidence doubling every ten years and has a very high mortality rate if not detected early.

However, diagnosis of malignant lesions at an early stage significantly improves survival rates. Norma Cronin, Health Promotion Manager, Irish Cancer Society said, "As the month of May has been designated Melanoma Awareness Month, the Irish Cancer Society encourages members of the public to be SunSmart and to get any suspicious moles and lesions checked out at their General Practitioners"

La Roche-Posay's sun protection range, Anthelios has a combination of patented filters Mexoryl® SX and Mexoryl® XL which enable the Anthelios filtering system to ensure efficient protection against the entire spectrum of UVB-UVA rays; whatever their intensity.

Comments (0) »

Show/Hide comment form

Name

Email

Title

Comment

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment