Play it safe in the sun

9th May 2019

With the Met Office predicting the sun will re-appear next week with temperatures on the rise, health experts in Stockport are urging people to play it safe in the sun.

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month and unprotected sun exposure is one of the main causes of skin cancer and also one of the most preventable.

The most obvious way to prevent damaging UV exposure is to stay in the shade on sunny days or at least stay out of the sun between 11 and 3pm.

Applying plenty of sunscreen, at an absolute minimum of factor 15, will also help. Make sure the sunscreen has “UVA” in a circle logo on it and gives you at least 4 star UVA protection. Re-apply it frequently even if it’s an all-day sunscreen. Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes.

But if you have noticed something different about your skin like a new, or changing, mole or crusty scab, then in Stockport you’re lucky to have GPs in every local practice skilled at assessing skin problems.

About 3 years ago the local NHS began an innovative project to give GPs the expertise and specialist equipment to confidently assess skin problems that were worrying their patients.

It’s enabled doctors to diagnose many cases themselves in their own surgery without the need to refer their patient on to a dermatologist consultant meaning they could instantly give their patients reassurance that the problem was nothing to worry about.

It also meant that the consultants would generally only see cases that require their expertise.

The specialist equipment – a dermatoscope – is a powerful microscope that enlarges the area of skin the doctor is looking at by ten times giving them the detail they need to make a diagnosis.

Almost all Stockport GP practices now have at least one dermatoscope and over 80 GP’s across Stockport are professionally trained to use them. Alongside this, GPs working within the 7 day service are trained and have access to dermatoscopes.

NHS Stockport CCG’s Head of Service Reform, Karen Moran, said “It is brilliant that Stockport has been a trailblazer for this work. It’s a great success story.

“Here in Stockport it’s our goal to ensure that patients always get the right treatment, at the right time, in the right place and continually upskilling our GPs will help towards achieving this.”