A MARKED increase in skin cancers in the north west has prompted doctors to warn people once again of the dangers of sunbathing and sunbeds.

At May’s NHS Warrington board meeting Dr Andrew Davies, chairman of the clinical leadership team, said that sunbed users, particularly young girls, were accounting for a large proportion of the new cases.

Skin cancer awareness has got to be one of Warrington’s biggest priorities, he said.

The deadliest form of skin cancer, melanoma, is now the most common cancer in women in their 20s, with twice as many cases in this age group as breast cancer.

Every year, Spire Cheshire Hospital’s consultant dermatologist, Jo Sowden, sees an increase in people visiting the hospital who are concerned about changes in their skin “Skin cancer can evolve on or near to other benign skin abnormalities or growths, including moles,” she said.

“Burning your skin just twice a year can triple your risk of melanoma skin cancer.”