Live longer + look younger = leave out the sun

VAT on sunscreen should be removed so it would be cheaper and more accessible, said dermatologist Lawrence Scerri yesterday, stressing the health benefits of its use in the light of the rising incidence of melanoma.

For some, the technologically advanced skincare product could be too expensive, but everyone should slap it on, together with other precautions to avoid the most deadly form of skin cancer.

Over the last 16 years, 84 people died of melanoma, with more men than women succumbing to the illness, despite fewer cases among males.

The highest number of deaths was in the 60+ age bracket because the rate of recovery in the elderly was lower, Dr Scerri explained.

The number of deaths has increased by 33.3 per cent in the 2001-2008 period over the previous eight years.

As regards incidence, National Cancer Registry statistics are only up to 2006 but until then, an increase of 92 per cent was registered in the 2000-2006 period over the previous seven years. In that period, every year saw 38 new cases.

Melanoma mostly hits those aged between 30 and 59 and has increased more in men over the years.

Dr Scerri, Dermatology Department head, was speaking at the launch of the 10th Euro-Melanoma Skin Cancer Campaign yesterday.

It is hitting two birds with one stone, playing on vanity in the hope of knocking sense into the man in the street to keep out of the sun. Doing so, not only allows for a longer life but also younger looks.

"Go for a fake tan," Dr Scerri advocated, insisting sun beds were equally damaging.

"Gone are the days when we go for the day to the beach," said Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Department director Charmaine Gauci - although not everyone may agree.

Even hanging the washing on the roof at 3 p.m. was not good. "Fifteen minutes in the sun, here and there, could still have detrimental effects," she warned, adding that UV rays pass through clouds, water and can be reflected off surfaces.

Although the increases were not alarming, they could reach that point, she said.

Promoting the use of sunglasses and hats, and taking note of the UV index, Dr Gauci said children should not be uncovered and unprotected on the beach.

They were more at risk even though decades could pass before melanoma reared its ugly head...

That would look like an asymmetrical patch on the skin, which has an irregular border, more than one shade and changes in size, Dermatology Department consultant Michael Boffa said. In 50 per cent of cases, it develops in a pre-existing mole.

If caught in the early stages, before it spreads to other organs, a simple, surgical procedure could save a life, Dr Boffa said.

The campaign, organised by the Maltese Association of Dermatology and Venereology and the Dermatology Department, in collaboration with the Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Department, is aimed at prevention, early detection and treatment, which influences the survival rate considerably.

Euro-Melanoma Day is being marked on Monday through the setting up of a screening clinic at Boffa Hospital. For an appointment, call on 2298 7105, or 2298 7153.

How do you get it?

• Repeated sunburn and sun exposure in childhood - "the skin never forgets!"

• Genetic predisposition: Fair and freckly skin; irregular moles; and family history.