Slip, slop slap advice being ignored

Motuhake Simon loves playing in the sun with his family but knows the games could turn deadly without sunscreen.

The Rotorua father-of-three is a firm believer in covering up in the sun and doesn't venture outdoors without protecting himself.

"All the messages are out there about covering up.

"The ozone layer doesn't protect you so you've got to do it yourself."

A new study, however, suggests few men share Mr Simon's responsible sun safe attitude.

The study, commissioned by the Skin Institute, looked at Kiwis' sun protection habits during the warmer weather and the results have medical professionals concerned.

Despite public health warnings about the risks of developing melanoma, only one in three New Zealanders is following the advice of skincare experts and applying sunscreen every time they are in the sun.

The worst offenders are men, with 27 per cent saying they rarely or never wear sunscreen.

The study also revealed that nearly a third of New Zealanders have been exposed to irreversible sun damage, with 32 per cent of those surveyed indicating they have been burnt to the point of their skin peeling once or more in the past 12 months. That figure rose to 37 per cent for men.

Cancer specialist Mark Izzard said he was tired of the cavalier attitude Kiwis had towards sun protection.

"There is no easy way to tell someone they are going to die from something as innocuous as skin cancer," he said.

"People still seem to trivialise it."

Melanoma is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in New Zealand men and women. It is the most common cancer in 20 to 40-year-olds and it is estimated it costs the health system $33 million every year.

About 250 people die from it annually - double the number of cases recorded 30 years ago. If caught early, however, it can be successfully treated. Dr Izzard said when patients heard they had melanoma, most reacted with anger at their own carelessness.

More than half of the study's respondents had never had a mole checked, yet nearly a quarter have had a mole removed because of concerns about skin cancer.

"Despite mole check services, a staggering number of New Zealanders are putting themselves at risk of deadly melanomas by not getting their moles checked," Dr Izzard said.

Rotorua's Rod Pickering has had surgery to remove small lesions on his skin which were diagnosed as early signs of melanoma. Growing up surfing in Australia, he admits he had a fairly cavalier attitude towards sun protection but the diagnosis was the wake-up call he needed.

"I'm more aware about the risks now and try to put sunscreen on twice a day."

Waikato/Bay of Plenty Cancer Society spokeswoman Jo Bell said New Zealanders generally "lived" outdoors over summer, increasing their risk of exposure to the sun's deadly rays.

"Between 11am and 4pm is when the sun is at it's most extreme so the message applies - slip on a T-shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat and wrap on sunglasses."