Watch out for the sun!

It is time to slip, slop, slap and wrap – it could save your life!

It is a myth that Māori and Pasifka don’t ever get skin cancer, so regardless of the colour of your skin make sure you slip on light clothing that covers you skin and stay in the shade as much as you can; slop on sunscreen and redo it every two hours (or straight after going in the water); slap on a hat (that covers your ears and neck); and wrap on some sunnies.

And especially make sure you protect the skin of our tamariki – sunburn they get now increases their chances of skin cancer in adulthood.

Who gets it? Anyone can get it

While our paler Flaxmerians are way more likely to get melanoma, that does not mean Māori, Pasifika and Asian people never do. According to DermNet (New Zealand’s internationally-accredited dermatology website), it is true that having darker skin does give some protection against melanoma, but the downside is that when darker-skinned people do get it, it tends to be thicker – which means they are more dangerous and difficult to treat.

Melanoma on dark skin is often (but not always) on the sole of the foot or under a fingernail or toenail – so keep an eye out.

Hawke’s Bay has more deaths from melanoma than anywhere else in New Zealand (that will be our incredibly sunny weather), and more men than women die of Melanoma – believed to be because they are less likely to take precautions against getting sunburnt.

Everyone, regardless of skin colour, needs to protect themselves from the sun and keep an eye out for strange spots on their skin. If you find one, show it to your GP as soon as possible!