SPECIALISTS will be on hand to give sun safety advice to reduce the risk of skin cancer in Worcestershire.

A team of cancer information specialists from Macmillan Cancer Support’s mobile service will be stopping off in Worcestershire to answer questions, provide support and inform people about local cancer services.

The mobile service will be visiting Stourport outside the Civic Hall in New Street between 10am and 4pm on Wednesday, July 27.

The service will be outside Kidderminster Town Hall in Exchange Street between 10am and 4pm the following day (July 28).

The number of people developing melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, is continuing to rise, with around 110,330 people living with malignant melanoma in the UK, and 13,500 people diagnosed every year, (around 37 people every day).

It is the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK, and slightly more common in women than in men.

With all of the varying types combined, skin cancer is the most common cancer in the UK.

Jo Scott, a Macmillan Information and Support Specialist explains: “Skin cancer, if caught early, is very treatable and actually has one of the highest survival rates of all cancers. "Being sun aware is key. Our advice is to avoid sun beds, wear a high SPF sun screen with a four star rating or more so it will block out UVA as well as UVB rays, and cover up in the sun.”

Tips to reduce the risk include remaining in the shade during the sunniest part of the day (11am to 3pm), avoiding direct exposure for babies and young children, using a hat and t-shirt to protect the body and apply sunscreen liberally.

Melanoma may be suggested by the presence of asymmetry (the two halves of the area may differ in shape), an irregular or blurred border and may sometimes show notches and uneven colour with different shades of black, brown and pin.

Most melanomas are at least 6mm in diameter.

Those who are concerned are advised to visit a GP and a consultant dermatologist.

Signs of non-melanoma skin cancer may include a scab or sore that won’t heal which may bleed occasionally; a scaly or crusty patch of skin that looks red or inflamed; a flesh coloured, pearly lump that won’t go away and appears to be growing in size; a lump on the skin which is getting bigger and that may be scabby and a growth with a pearly rim surrounding a central crater, a bit like an upturned volcano.