THE past weeks has seen soaring temperatures in Ludlow. Local residents in shorts and t-shirts, children spending hours happily in the sun.

Being active and getting some sun exposure to increase your Vitamin D levels is vitally important but ensuring that five years hence you aren’t facing skin cancer is also essential.

Nationally, about 13,500 malignant melanomas are diagnosed annually, locally every GP will see at least 2-3 cases of skin cancer (basal or squamous cell or melanoma) over the summer months. Malignant melanoma, specifically, has increased fourfold since the 1970s and in some cases can be terminal even with treatment.

How does sun protection work and what to buy – as a minimum your sun cream needs to have UVA rating above four star and SPF above 15. The maximum time it will work is eight hours and, even if you haven’t been swimming, it needs replacing at this stage. Very often, we buy the correct factor and apply it regularly but use too little product – an average adult needs 35 ml to cover their body.

Children require a higher SPF, their skin is more likely to burn.

What is a suntan – the skin has pigment cells. When exposed to sunlight these cells become damaged and increased pigment is deposited resulting in a tan. Skin damage can occur both from exposure in short bursts on hot days and from constant low-grade exposure, even in the winter sun, without sun protection.

What to look for – the higher the number of moles on your skin, the greater your change of developing skin cancer. Concerning lesions are those with an irregular border or uneven pigmentation, any lesion that crusts over and doesn’t heal, keeps bleeding and any lesion above 5mm in diameter. If you are at all concerned, attending for a skin check with either the GP or nurse is always beneficial.