Sun Safety

Skin cancer costs the New Zealand health system about $33 million a year. Most of this cost could be prevented, yet skin cancer prevention continues to have low priority in national health purchasing.

Death and disease rates

Skin cancer is by far the most common cancer affecting New Zealanders. Skin cancers include: 

Melanoma: the least common but the most serious form of skin cancer. 

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC): easily treated if found early but can be fatal if left untreated. 

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC): the most common and least dangerous skin cancer. BCC can be serious if left untreated. 

Sun Spots (solar keratoses): people with sun spots are at greater risk of developing skin cancer.

About 1,800 new melanoma cases and about 45,000 new non-melanoma skin cancer cases are confirmed by laboratory tests each year. There are also approximately 20,000 cases of non- melanoma skin cancer each year, which are treated immediately, without health professionals ordering a laboratory test. New skin cancers total about 67,000 a year compared to a total of 16,000 for all other new cancer registrations.

New Zealand's high rate of skin cancer, and melanoma in particular, is disturbing, especially as most is preventable. Over exposure to the sun's ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is the cause of over 90% of all skin cancer - making prevention and early detection of skin cancer key health goals.

Be SunSmart - "Slip, Slop, Slap and Wrap"