That Cancer Conversation Podcast Season 3: Ep.6 'Are we looking after our skin?'

This entry is part 28 of 28 in the series That Cancer Conversation

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Welcome to another episode of That Cancer Conversation!

We’re entering the summer season and hopefully expecting some sunny weather. But with warm weather approaching we’re likely to spend more time outdoors, so it’s time to start thinking about protecting ourselves from those UV rays!

Skin cancer is the 5th most common cancer in the UK, with almost 9 in 10 cases caused by exposure to too much ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun and sunbeds. It’s important we take care of our skin and Sophie Brooks, who works in the health information team at Cancer Research UK, joins the podcast to provide some simple and effective tips alongside discussing some common skin cancer and sun safety myths.

Jak Howell smiling in the podcast studio behind a microphone — Jak Howell

But we’re recently seeing an alarming increase in skin cancer cases and sunbed usage. In 2024, a survey by the charity Melanoma Focus found that 28% of UK adults use sunbeds, and seeing a rise to 43% among 18 to 25 year-olds. Jak, a content creator, also joins the podcast, sharing his personal cancer story being diagnosed with skin cancer at 21 years old and how his use of sunbeds may have played a big role.

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