Expert advice and mole checks at sun awareness events
Visitors to the beaches at Bournemouth and Poole will be able to get expert advice about staying safe in the sun.
Sun seekers in Poole and Bournemouth will have the chance to find out all they need to know about safe exposure when a team of expert doctors and nurses join them on the beach this summer.
Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will be teaming up with the British Association of Dermatologists on beaches at Sandbanks on 24 July and Bournemouth (near Pier Approach) on 25 July between 10am and 4pm.
Doctors and nurses from the Dermatology and Melanoma Surgery Units at Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Hospitals will be based in a marquee on the beach. The events are being supported by the RNLI to jointly promote sun and water safety messages.
The team will be available to give expert information about sun protection and the warning signs of skin cancer, and hand out samples of sunscreen. They will also offer a free mole checking service at certain times during the day.
The main messages for enjoying the sun safely are:
- Slap on broad spectrum sunscreen of at least SPF 30, 30 minutes prior to sun exposure
- Reapply sunscreen every one to two hours and after getting wet
- Cover up with a shirt and hat
- Move into the shade between 11am and 3pm when the sun is at its strongest
Dr Caroline Morgan, Consultant Dermatologist at Poole Hospital, is co-ordinating the event with Dr Helen Robertshaw, Consultant Dermatologist at Christchurch Hospital and Mr Dexter Perry, Consultant Surgeon at Bournemouth Hospital. Dr Morgan said: “We want people on the beach to be safe in both the sun and the water. Skin cancer is on the increase, and in the South of England we have the highest incidence of skin cancer in the UK.
Dr Morgan added: “If you are concerned about moles and skin disease, get expert advice – dermatologists are the appropriate professionals to seek help from.”
Date: 15 July 2008