Australian men poor on sun protection

They say skin cancer is often called our "national cancer" due to Australia having the highest rate of skin cancer in the world.

Approximately two in three Australians will be diagnosed with a skin cancer in their lifetime and it's estimated almost twice as many men as women will die from melanoma in 2022.

Men are at higher risk than women according to Cancer Council's survey with only one in two men regularly seeking shade in the summer sun.

One in three men regularly use sunscreen despite the incidence and deaths among men being higher than women.

More than half of respondents reported being sunburnt at least once during summer, with the most common activities being during a walk, jog or run.

The Cancer Council said their research indicates one in more men need to be conscious of the hours they spend in the sun and how to stay best protected.

"This tells us that more needs to be done to remind people of the easy steps they can take to reduce their risk of skin cancer every day," director of Cancer Control Policy, Megan Varlow said.

Over exposure to UV-radiation causes roughly 95 per cent of all skin cancers and it's important to routinely get checks at GPs, said the Australasian College of Dermatologists.

"Sadly, skin cancer claims the lives of over 2000 Australians every year. Yet, there are steps we can take to protect ourselves from the sun and reduce our risk of skin cancer," president Dr Clare Tait said.

"We know that every region across the country is likely to reach extreme levels of UV over the summer months, so it's important to remember to always check the UV index before you head outside and use all five forms of sun protection whenever the UV index is three or above."

Australian Associated Press