Zizi Sparks: Saturday's sunburn serves as a sunsmart reminder

Crowds beat the heat at Tikitapu (Blue Lake) near Rotorua in a previous summer. Photo / NZME

OPINION

The weather is heating up and it's starting to feel more like summer, so in the past fortnight or so I've ticked off the big three of firsts.

My first swim a couple of weeks ago, my first barbecue on Friday, and unfortunately, my first sunburn on Saturday.

At the weekend I spent about an hour sitting in the sun reading a book in the backyard. It was so nice soaking up the heat and I spared no thought for sun safety. This week I'm paying for it.

This is the itchiest sunburn I've ever had and I've googled and tried multiple home remedies – moisturiser, aloe vera, a cold shower, even an antihistamine.

I'm not very good at self-controlling the urge to itch, even writing this is making it worse. But I know scratching that itch could mean it lasts longer.

So in the short term, I'm stuck with an itch I can't scratch and an uncomfortable reminder to wear sunscreen and other sun protection next time.

It's been a big reminder for me about the importance of sun protection and should serve as one to everyone as the weather heats up and the sun gets harsher.

According to sunsmart.org.nz, an estimated 80,000 Kiwis get non-melanoma skin cancer and more than 2000 melanomas are reported to the New Zealand cancer registry each year.

In 2009, immunotherapy agents such as Opdivo and Keytruda were available, the annual cost of treating skin cancer was $57 million.

The organisation recommends sun protection between September and April to mitigate the risks.

Now skin cancer is a worst-case scenario, but it is something we should be mindful of before it becomes an issue.

Melanoma New Zealand reports melanoma is the third most common cancer in men and women in New Zealand, with more than 4000 people diagnosed each year.

It says sunburn at any age increases the risk of melanoma in later life and anyone can be diagnosed. No one is immune to the risks.

It might sound all doom and gloom to jump from one sunburn to skin cancer, but the little things add up. I would rather act now and avoid a shock diagnosis in the future.

So with the weather heating up and beaches and lakes in the region to flock to, we should all think twice before racing out to soak up the sun.

Last weekend serves as a reminder to everyone to slip, slop, slap and wrap before enjoying the sun.