Skin
cancer  | | Christa
- trying to raise awareness of skin cancer risks |
Every year
nearly 70,000 people are diagnosed with some form of skin cancer. The incidence
of skin cancer in the UK is rocketing and numbers of the worst kind, malignant
melanomas, are set to treble in the next 30 years. Last year BBC Look North
presenter Christa Ackroyd's daughter Briony was one of them. She tells Inside
Out why her daughter's skin cancer scare made her give up tanning for good. Exclusive
interview When did you first realise that there was something
wrong with Briony? To be honest we first realised there was a problem
during a cautionary check up. A friend, Nora, had suffered a malignant
melanoma and, because Briony was very moley, suggested that she should show us
what to look out for. Out of maybe 40 moles, she found one which was multi-coloured
which, in her words, she didnt like the look of. I had found another
mole on the sole of Briony's foot. In the end the professor took four off.
It was only when the diagnosis showed two out of the four, including the
one Nora had spotted, were showing major signs of change, that we realised, as
he put it, that we were heading for trouble. It was not yet a melanoma
but it was well on the way to becoming one. How did you feel when the
diagnosis was made? ![Melanoma]() | | Under
the microscope - melanoma cells |
Terrible - because, as the
specialist says, its a fine line between what looks normal and what doesnt.
And I wouldnt exactly say it was that easy to spot the OK ones from
the abnormal. Then I felt relief that we had caught it in time as, in his
words, he "sometimes has to tell a young person that they are facing a battle
for their life". Do you know if there was any reason that Briony
might have been more susceptible than anyone else to skin cancer? Not
really. However, she is very moley and I suppose, like many young people (and
unlike my childhood when we went on holiday in this country), she has been going
abroad all her life. | "Getting
sunburnt in childhood actually doubles the risk of skin cancer in later years." | | Christa
Ackroyd |
This was at a time 20 years ago when we didnt
have high factor sun creams and total sun blocks. She always wore a hat
and had sun cream, but the message wasn't hammered home, I suppose, until a couple
of years ago. Are young people particularly at risk of skin cancer? No.
Everyone is at risk if you have ever burned in the sun.
Work men who strip
off in the summer men and men with bald heads are obviously at risk. Particularly
at risk are young people who still believe 'no pain, no gain' and who think they
have to get burnt to get brown. I'd also advise checking the soles of your
feet and putting sun cream there. What did the treatment involve and
was it frightening going through it? The treatment was simple - basically
it was removal and analysis. It is from now on that we have to check every
month and look for signs of change. Did you ever think the worst? No,
because my specialist was so positive.  | | Sunbathers
- putting themselves at risk without protection |
Some people
are so paranoid, they wont even take their rubbish to the dustbins. His
advice was to use high factor every day even in early spring, and to wear a hat
and T-shirt when swimming in the sea. Also, never burn by staying out of
the midday sun, and 'check, check, check' any new or changing moles. What
do you think needs to be done to raise awareness of skin cancer? Is there enough
health education? It is getting better. It's also the reason Briony,
who us quite shy, decided to speak up. Of course in Oz there are uva and
uvb forecasts every day and that should happen here, I think. But we are
now becoming more aware and the message is getting through, which is why spray
tans or the 'pale and interesting look' are the way forward! Famous Aussie
ladies Kylie and Nicole Kidman don't sport a tan - thats because the figures
for skin cancer in Australia used to be one in four. How does Briony
feel now looking back? Lucky. But its not major life changing.
Shes positive. What precautions do you and Briony now take as a
result of the cancer scare? We lather on the lotion and check each other. As
a Mum I nag, nag, nag about it. And of course, I buy her the best fake
tans without a qualm. Do we Brits spend too much time on sun beds seeking
a tanned look?  | | Sun
beds - experts recommend fake tan rather than machines |
Sun
beds should be banned as should low factor lotions. What would you say
to sun worshippers who stay out in the full sun all day? You are playing
with fire, quite literally. But my advice would be to still have fun in
the sun as it has benefits and makes us feel happy and healthy. Just don't
go crazy... Links relating to this story:The BBC is not
responsible for the content of external websites | 
Inside
Out - Yorkshire & Lincolnshire: Monday September 11, 2006
