Why Is Skin Cancer So Common in Australia?

A common misunderstanding is that UV is only a concern on hot, sunny days. In reality, UV is not the same as heat. It can still damage the skin on cool or cloudy days, which is why checking the UV index is more useful than relying on temperature alone. Cancer Council Australia explains that UVA and UVB can both damage skin cells and contribute to skin cancer.

The ozone layer helps filter harmful UV radiation before it reaches the earth’s surface. Ozone absorbs all UVC and stops most UVB from reaching the ground, although some UVB still gets through.

Historically, ozone depletion increased UVB levels, which may have contributed to rising skin cancer rates in Australia since the 1970s. However, Cancer Council Australia also notes that other factors, including sun-seeking behaviour and an ageing population, have played an important role.

For patients, the practical message is simple: Australia’s UV environment is harsh and skin protection matters across the year.

Another reason skin cancer is so common in Australia is the mismatch between skin type and environment.

Many Australians have fair skin types linked to northern European ancestry. Fair skin contains less protective melanin than darker skin types and is more likely to burn in intense UV conditions. People with fair skin, light eyes, light hair, freckles, or a tendency to burn rather than tan generally have a higher risk of UV-related skin damage.

This does not mean people with darker skin cannot develop skin cancer. They can. However, fair-skinned people living in a high UV levels country such as Australia have a particularly high level of lifetime risk.

Australian life often happens outdoors. Work, school, sport, holidays, beaches, parks and weekend social activities can all involve repeated sun exposure.

For some people, the exposure is obvious. Builders, landscapers, roofers, farmers, lifeguards and other outdoor workers may spend years in direct sun. For others, the exposure is less noticeable: driving, walking the dog, watching children play sport, gardening, exercising outdoors, or sitting outside at lunch.

This repeated exposure adds up. Skin cancer is often the result of cumulative UV damage over many years, not just one bad sunburn.

Sun exposure during childhood and adolescence is especially important. Cancer Australia identifies UV exposure during childhood and adolescence as a major risk factor for non-melanoma skin cancer.

Severe sunburn, especially blistering sunburn, can increase later skin cancer risk. This is why sun protection for children and teenagers is so important, even if the consequences may not appear until decades later.

Many adults now presenting for skin checks are seeing the effects of sun damage that began in childhood, teenage years or early adulthood, often before sun protection was promoted as strongly as it is today.

One of the challenges with skin cancer is that many people underestimate their personal risk.

It is not only people who work outdoors, surf every weekend, or have a previous history of skin cancer who may be affected. Office workers, parents, retirees, athletes, drivers and people who simply spent years living in the Australian sun can all develop skin cancer.

This is why skin cancers are sometimes found during routine skin checks, even when the patient has not noticed a particular spot of concern.

Australia’s climate cannot be changed, but your level of UV exposure can be reduced.

Practical ways to lower your risk include:

• using broad-spectrum sunscreen correctly
• wearing a broad-brimmed hat
• covering up with protective clothing
• wearing sunglasses
• seeking shade
• avoiding deliberate tanning
• checking the UV index
• booking a skin check if you notice a new or changing spot

Sun protection is not only for beach days. In Australia, it is part of everyday skin health.