An expert guide to skin cancer prevention

There are several ways to lower your risk of getting skin cancer, such as protecting your skin from the sun.

Although there is no sure way to prevent melanoma, there are precautions you can take to lower your risk.

Dr Ross Perry, mole and skin cancer screening expert at Cosmedics Skin Clinics, has explained what you can do to prevent sun damage to your skin and potentially lower your risk of skin cancer.

"Our faces are the area most prone to ageing, as well as sun damage due to the fact they are constantly exposed to UV sunlight," Dr Perry begins. "There are often a lot of questions as to whether people should wear sunblock on their faces all year round, the simple answer is yes! Throughout the winter you could wear a lower factor sunblock such as a factor 30. But during the spring and summer months, a factor 50 would be more advisable particularly if you are fair-skinned."

The expert explains that applying sun cream regularly is vital.

"The ideal scenario is to apply sunblock 15 minutes before going out into high-intensity sunlight. If you are regularly applying sunscreen every 2-3 hours then hopefully that will allow you to expose your skin to the all-day sun," Dr Perry says. "However, it would be advisable that between the hours of 11am and 2pm to be under an umbrella as this intensity of sunlight is almost certainly able to penetrate the sunscreen."

And if you feel your skin starting to burn, make sure you get out of the sun.

"And then the best thing to do is apply moisturising lotions such as Aloe Vera or other soothing aftersun lotions and to apply this every 2 hours," he recommends. "It is also important to treat the sunburn with a cold flannel after the initial few hours after the burn. Once it has got past 4- 6 hours then carry on applying regular moisturising creams."

Finally, Dr Perry explains how to tell if a mole could be cancerous.

"If you have a mole that is bleeding then it is almost certainly not normal unless you have merely caught it or it has been rubbing (such as on a bra strap) and that is the cause of the bleeding i.e. from an injury," he explains. "Most moles do not spontaneously bleed so it is important to get this checked out by visiting your doctor. Other things such as changes in size and shape and colour are important signs of potential skin cancer."

If you notice a change in one of your moles, you must speak to a professional.