People who’ve had skin cancer have a higher risk of getting more skin cancers. You will need regular checks with your doctor to see if the cancer has come back and to look for any new skin cancers. People who are immunosuppressed may need to be checked more often.
It’s very important to be sun smart and avoid more skin damage. As well as check-ups with your doctor, check your own skin regularly, and see your doctor if you notice a change.
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Sun protection and UV
After a skin cancer diagnosis, you need to take special care to protect your skin from the sun’s UV radiation. UV radiation is not the same as sunshine – UV levels can be high on a cloudy day or at the snowfields.
Using a sunscreen daily when the UV level is forecast to be 3 or above has been shown to reduce the risk of skin cancer.
The UV index shows the intensity of the sun’s UV radiation. It can help you work out when to use sun protection. An index of 3 or above means that UV levels are high enough to damage unprotected skin and you need to use more than one type of sun protection. This includes protective clothing, a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses and seeking shade.
The recommended daily sun protection times are the times of day the UV levels are expected to be 3 or higher. The daily sun protection times will vary according to where you live and the time of year.
Some medicines and health conditions may make the skin more sensitive to UV radiation, causing it to burn or be damaged by the sun more quickly or easily. Ask your doctor if this applies to you and if there are any extra things you should do to protect your skin. You may need to use sun protection all the time, whatever the UV level is.
Vitamin D
UV radiation from the sun causes skin cancer, but it is also the best source of vitamin D. People need vitamin D for a variety of reasons, including to have healthy bones.
Most people get enough vitamin D throughout the day – even when using sun protection. When the UV index is 3 or above, you usually only need a few minutes outside on most days of the week to get enough vitamin D, but this will also depend on your skin colour, where you live and the time of year.
The body can absorb only a set amount of vitamin D at a time. For most people, getting more sun won’t always increase your vitamin D levels, but it will increase your skin cancer risk. People who have had cancer should be extra careful about sun exposure. Talk to your doctor about the best way to get vitamin D while reducing your risk of skin cancer. They may suggest you stay out of the sun as much as possible and take a vitamin D tablet instead.
Skin cancer can change your financial situation, especially if you have medical expenses or need to travel for treatment. Check whether any financial assistance is available by calling Cancer Council 13 11 20 or, if you are in hospital, ask the social worker. Some treatment centres may offer payment plans.
For more on this, see Cancer and your finances.
→ READ MORE: How to protect your skin from the sun
A/Prof Victoria Mar, Director, Victorian Melanoma Service, Alfred Hospital and Monash University, VIC; Tracey Bilson, Consumer; Raelene Buchan, Consumer; Alison Button-Sloan, Consumer; Dr Margaret Chua, Radiation Oncologist, and the Skin Radiation Oncology team, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Prof Anne Cust, Deputy Director, The Daffodil Centre, The University of Sydney and Cancer Council NSW, Chair, National Skin Cancer Committee, Cancer Council, and faculty member, Melanoma Institute Australia; A/Prof Paul Fishburn, Skin Cancer Doctor, Norwest Skin Cancer Centre, NSW and Faculty of Medicine, University of Queensland; Danielle Goss, Melanoma Clinical Nurse Specialist, Amie St Clair Melanoma (part of Melanoma Institute Australia), Wagga Wagga, NSW; Louise Pellerade, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council WA: Dr Shireen Sidhu, Head of Dermatology, The Royal Adelaide Hospital, SA; Dr Amelia Smit, Research Fellow – Melanoma and Skin Cancer, The Daffodil Centre, The University of Sydney and Cancer Council NSW; Dr Tony Tonks, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, Canberra Plastic Surgery, ACT.
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