Skincancer: your questions answered

The key is to look for moles that change size or colour, or become itchy or inflamed. Moles with ragged edges are also worth having checked out, experts advise. Melanomas in men are most common on the back, and in women the commonest site is the legs.

How is skin cancer treated?

Treatments range from removing the mole with surgery to chemotherapy, depending on the severity of the mole. Usually pre-cancerous moles can simply be removed with no further problems.

I'm fair-skinned; am I more at risk?

Yes, fair skin contains less protective pigment, especially if you freckle easily. This means extra care should be taken to avoid the sun between 11am and 3pm.

Are my children at risk too?

Yes, young skin contains far less protection than older, more weathered skin. Experts advise keeping babies out of direct sunlight altogether whenever possible, and older children should always wear sunscreen.

Are other countries better at protecting themselves?

Britain already has more deaths from skin cancer than Australia, where a 20-year campaign of sun awareness has cut the number of deaths to 1,000 a year. In the UK it is close to 1,700.