Skin
Gain confidence from understanding your skin condition, how to manage it and when to seek help.
How can we help you?
Treatment and support for skin conditions
Understanding skin lesion removal
Your GP might recommend you have a mole, wart, skin tag or other skin growth removed. Usually that’s just for health reasons, but if it’s the look that’s bothering you, you can see a skin specialist privately.
Treating and preventing pressure sores
If you’re unable to move around much, pressure sores can happen. It’s important to treat them quickly to stop them getting worse and becoming infected.
Can UV light therapy help skin conditions?
Discover the uses of ultraviolet (UV) light therapy for certain skin conditions. We'll also talk about the possible side effects to watch out for.
Concerned about skin changes?
With or without insurance, we can help you
If you’re a Bupa health insurance customer
If you notice changes to a mole or skin lesion, call our Direct Access‡ cancer team on 0345 609 0111.^ If needed, they’ll refer you to our remote skin assessment service.
On our Bupa Blua Health app† you can book unlimited GP appointments. Speak to a doctor on the phone or by video call.
If you don’t have health insurance with us
No problem. We can still help you on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Speak to a private GP about your symptoms, and get advice on treatment. Just pay for what you need, when you need it.
Is there a safe way to get a tan?
Dr Zoe Williams debunks tanning myths and explains whether there really is a safe way to get a tan.
Can I tan safely?
Is there any such thing as a healthy tan?
I know that we all like to think so, and love how we look when we have that sun kissed glow.
But the truth is, having a tan is actually a sign of skin damage.
And it increases the risk of things like skin cancer and premature skin aging.
So why do we tan?
Once skin is exposed to UV radiation, it increases the production of melanin in an attempt to protect the skin from further damage.
So melanin is the pigment that gives the appearance of a tan.
So the tan is actually evidence of damage to the skin, and it's the skin's attempt to protect itself.
The build up of sun exposure over time is what can lead to skin damage and some skin cancers.
And the most important cause is too much exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun or from sunbeds.
And this can cause the DNA of skin cells to change.
Sometimes this alteration in DNA allows the skin cells to grow out of control and develop into a cancer.
Some groups of people are at greater risk of developing skin cancer, particularly people who are more susceptible to sunburn and people with suppressed immune systems.
People who tan easily have skin which is better at this protective mechanism.
People who have darker skin have the most protection from sun damage, as they have higher levels of melanin in the skin all of the time, hence why skin cancer rates are much lower in dark skinned people.
But protection is still important and skin cancer can still occur.
To minimize your risk of sun damage, use an effective suncream and apply it properly, but that's only part of the picture.
In fact, the British Association of Dermatologists reminds us that shade and protective clothing are actually our first line of defense against the sun.
Protective clothing includes a broad brimmed hat and sunglasses, and, where possible, longer sleeves and trousers.
Keeping your kids safe in the sun
Dr Zoe Williams shares her top sun safety tips for kids, ensuring a healthy and happy summer.
As a mom and doctor, it's important to know preventative measures for sun damage.
When doing this with my son, there are some great little tricks to make sure he is sun safe.
Go, Mommy, go.
Okay.
So when it comes to dressing your child and protecting them from the sun, ideally you want them to wear long trousers and long sleeves, but once it gets hotter, that's not very realistic.
You can, and it is important, to encourage them to wear a hat.
Do you wanna put your hat on, Lisbon?
That's it.
Ideally a bucket hat or a wide brimmed hat all the way around to protect them from all angles.
Caps are not as effective because they only protect from the front.
Then protecting the eyes, what are these?
Glasses.
Sunglasses that fit.
Make it fun.
Oh yeah, thumbs up.
Excellent, and then obviously really important is appropriate sun cream.
So I let Lisbon have his own, this is yours, isn't it?
He keeps it, he keeps it in his own little bag and we even let him apply it himself.
He doesn't do a great job, so we do have to top up and make sure that it's all rubbed in properly, but we let him have a go and we make it fun by putting smiley faces on his tummy, triangles, and then what do we draw on your legs with the sun cream, when put the sun cream?
Oh yeah, trees.
So whatever makes it fun.
And we use a roll on as well 'cause it makes it a bit more accessible.
What you're really importantly looking for is you want it to be factor 30 minimum.
We're actually using factor 50.
You put some on your tummy, but it's also important to look for the UVA rating.
So we've got five stars.
I prefer to go for a trusted brand.
It just gives me a bit of extra confidence, but it doesn't need to be expensive.
So your supermarket-owned brand or your pharmacy-owned brand is absolutely fine.
And we prefer to use babies and children specific one 'cause that way we know the ingredients aren't likely to irritate his skin.
And that's what we do on the face, don't we?
We put cheeks on your cheeks.
We put a nose on your nose.
Can you put a nose on your nose?
That's it.
And we put a forehead on your forehead and a chin on your chin.
And then can you rub it in?
Shade gives you some protection from UV radiation too, so a dense shade that creates the dark shadow is best.
And remember that you can always make your own shade too using an umbrella or a sunshade.
If you're using a pram, you can use a damp muslin cloth to cover it, but re-wet the cloth every 20 minutes.
This ensures that air can get through to your child and keeps the pram cool.
So never cover a pram with a dry cloth or blanket 'cause this can restrict the airflow and increase the pram's temperature.
Now, we can't all be perfect and sometimes accidents like sunburn do happen.
Don't beat yourself up.
Get out of the sun as soon as possible and cool your skin with a cool but not cold shower bath or damp towel.
Make sure that babies and young children don't get too cold.
Afterwards, you can apply after sun cream or spray, drink plenty of water to cool down and prevent dehydration, and then cover any sun burnt skin from direct sunlight until the skin is fully healed.
If needed, you can take painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen for any pain.
Seek medical help if your skin is blistered or swollen, if your temperature is very high, if you feel hot and shivery, or you feel very tired, dizzy, sick, or if you have a headache or muscle cramps.
And if your baby or a young child has sunburn, it's worth just getting them checked out too.
Is the UK sun strong enough to cause skin damage?
Explore the truth about the UK sun with Dr Zoe Williams as she shares essential tips to keep your skin sun safe.
Is the UK sun the same as the sun abroad?
In summer months, we all naturally spend more time outdoors.
Whether it's in the garden, at festivals, barbecues or beer gardens.
But we don't tend to take our sun care as seriously because the UK sun doesn't feel as hot as when we're abroad.
But it's time to debunk that myth that the UK sun is safe, and that it can't do damage to our skin because it can.
And that's even on a grey day.
Whilst it's true that our UV index, which is the scale we measure the strength of the sun's rays on, doesn't get as high as it does in the Mediterranean, any day with a UV index of three or more means we should be using some protection.
And that's pretty much every day between mid-March and mid-October here in the UK.
And don't be fooled by cloud cover.
Over 90% of the sun's rays can still pass through the cloud and cause damage to the skin.
So if you're heading outdoors, don't make suncream a once a year purchase at the airport and make sure you do respect the UK sun just as much with good sun protection.
Myth busting skin cancer
Watch in 11 mins
Hear from Bupa's Clinical Director, Dr Petra Simic and Dr Zoe Williams as they discuss causes, symptoms and common myths about skin cancer.
Hello and thank you for joining us on this myth busting session on all things skin cancer.
So Petra, to start off with what are the different types of skin cancer?
Well, Zoe, we broadly define them into two groups.
Melanoma skin cancer and non-melanoma skin cancer.
Most people have heard about melanoma, skin cancer.
These are the types that we talk to people about looking for changes in moles or new moles.
But actually the much more common skin cancers of the non-melanoma skin cancers such as basal cell carcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas So three types that can be grouped into those two groups.
Okay.
And what sort of symptoms should people be looking out for when it comes to skin cancer?
You mentioned the moles and I think people tend to be aware of that, but what else is there?
So in addition to changes in moles, which I think people are very aware of, I think people are much less aware of the symptoms that you might see with the other two skin cancers which make up the vast majority of skin cancers we see.
So things like new skin growths.
So flesh coloured growths, particularly particularly on the face, head and neck that develop over weeks and months, they may get little blood vessels on them.
They look kind of pearly.
Those are things that need to get checked out.
And the other things are skin lesions, ulcers, scratches that don't heal.
So we're looking at things that change over weeks and months and things that don't heal after three or four weeks.
That's not common and probably needs to get checked out.
Brilliant.
And then lifestyle factors.
So what are the things that might increase the risk of somebody getting skin cancer?
We know that obviously genetics play a role.
We can't do anything about our genetics.
But what are the lifestyle factors that we can adjust?
Well, the main one is exposure to sunlight.
All skin cancers have a relationship to sunlight.
Sunlight is UV light and UV light damages the skin.
So we know that sunlight is the major factor.
So for that, that's two things, really, the amount of time you spend in the sun, which actually can be reflected on how brown your skin goes and whether you've had periods of sunburn.
These are two factors when it comes to sun exposure that increase your risk of skin cancer.
There are other things such as genetics.
So if you've got a family history of skin cancer that can make you more likely to get it, especially if there's a family history of melanoma and for some people, if they're on certain medications, that can make you more likely to have some of these non-melanoma skin cancers.
And what types of medications would they be?
So things affect your immune system.
So the immunosuppressants are the ones we need to be most cautious about.
Okay.
So you mentioned that about genetics.
The next question we can probably do quite quickly is, is skin cancer hereditary?
In most cases it isn't.
However, if you have had someone in the family, particularly with melanoma, it is worth mentioning that especially if you have a change in a mole or a new pigmented mole type lesion that you need checked out.
I guess another reason to be really, really careful about protecting yourself from the sun.
Here’s one, quick one to deal with.
Probably.
You can only develop skin cancer by sunbathing.
True or false?
I guess the answer is false, but also a little bit true.
So sunbathing is exposure to the sun, but it's not just lying on a sun bed.
Is that is that the thing that makes you get skin cancer?
Not at all.
It's any exposure to the sun.
So I think people need to change their mindset.
So there are lots of people that work outdoors and they feel that because they're outdoors and they get a base tan, they're protected.
They're actually much more at risk than someone that might spend just one week a year on a sunbed.
So it's the amount of sun you get and not in what position you are when you get that sun exposure.
And I'm sure you are the same in GP, often the type of patient we will see who's affected by skin cancer will be often men who've worked outdoors, who've never sunbathe, so they think they're fine.
And it's places like the tops of the ears, the nose, those places are pointing up towards the sun for many, many hours.
Yeah, absolutely.
And if you've not got much hair so the top of your head.
So you haven't noticed it, the chest area, shoulders, so really common, those kind of areas.
And you're absolutely right people think because they've not been sunbathers that their immune from those problems but actually they've they've still got the same risks.
So here's another one, something I often get asked.
People with dark skin do not develop skin cancers.
That true or false?
Oh, you know, I wish that was true.
Certainly it’s much less common to get melanoma type skin cancers and all skin cancers in people with darker skin because the melanin they have in their skin is a protective factor.
It's the thing your skin produces to protect the skin from the UV rays, which is.
Why we do get a tan when we are in the sun because the skin's desperately trying to protect itself.
Absolutely.
But but it doesn't mean you're protected.
And we still get skin cancers if we have pigmented skin, and it can be harder to pick them up.
And for some reason and we don't know why, it seems that for people that do get melanoma, particularly in pigmented skin, they tend to have worse outcomes.
So we pick them up later and they're more aggressive.
So it's even more important to keep an eye on your skin and no reason not to use sun protection if you have pigmented skin.
And Bob Marley, not a lot of people know, but Bob Marley actually died of skin cancer, so he had a type of skin cancer that affected the sole of his foot.
We call that area if you get skin cancer, an ankle skin cancer, and that's what he got.
And really unusual.
And people perhaps if they see a pigmented lesion on the palm of their hand or sole of their foot, it wouldn't occur to them that this could be a skin cancer.
But I think if that happens and, you know, go and see a GP.
And also on the nail, you can get a melanoma on the skin underneath the nail, so worth getting that checked out as well.
If your skin tans and you don't burn.
So, yeah, you go out in the sun, you turn a lovely, beautiful brown without any burning.
Then you don't need to wear sun protection.
True or false?
False.
False.
Again.
So yeah, tanning is a sign of sun damage and we know that UV light causes DNA changes in skin that actually makes you predisposed to skin cancer.
So the browner you are, the more sun damage your skin has got.
So, unfortunately, a tan, if it's come from sunlight, means you're damaging your skin and you know, premature ageing and wrinkles.
Definitely one of the outcomes but increased risk of skin cancer.
So unfortunately also false.
But if you are somebody who so whether you tan beautifully or whether you burn to a crisp, you know, the fact that you're exposing your skin to the sun and seeing changes is a sign that you're damaging your skin.
But if you're somebody who does burn easily, is that damage more significant than somebody who tans?
Well, there's two groups of people, I think.
We know that people that burn or have have episodes of burning, even if you don't burn easily.
We know that causes significant DNA damage to the skin and will make you more likely to have a skin cancer.
But people that have long exposure also have increased risk of skin cancers, different skin cancers, admittedly, but still problems in the future.
If you are someone with very fair skin and you do burn easily, however, your overall risk of skin cancer is higher than if you're someone who tans easily.
So I think that may be where this information might be misunderstood.
I tan easily, therefore it's protective.
Not true.
You tan easily.
Maybe your risks are lower than someone who burns easier, but it doesn't mean it's protecting you.
Brilliant.
Great.
And then what about choosing the SPF?
The number?
So the question is, a higher SPF means you can spend more time in the sun.
SPF have been designed and explained in such a way that the higher the SPF, the longer you can stay in the sun before you burn.
However, truthfully, the higher the SPF, the better protection you're giving your skin from sun damage.
I mean, that's the simplest way.
So really, you should use the highest SPF you can get your hands on for the best protection from the sun.
And actually, if you do want to go a slightly brown colour, most people do when they've been on holiday, you will still tan through SPF 30 or SPF 50.
You are just less likely to burn and there'll be less damage to your skin.
So the higher the better.
Okay.
Next question.
This is an interesting one.
Do you need to put a sunblock or higher sunscreen on moles?
Should you be spotting yourself ?
A common misconception.
So although some people with lots of moles are higher risk of skin cancer, it's not necessarily that it's the moles that will be affected.
It's the whole skin.
And actually, most skin cancers don't originate in a moles.
So put your sun cream everywhere.
And the same thickness all over.
You don't need to look like you've put your calamine on chickenpox.
Next one then is about moles.
What signs should people be looking out for?
What is a sign of concern?
When should you go and see your doctor?
So the things we're worried about as doctors are changing moles and changing over a short period of time, over days and weeks, many people's moles might change over years.
That's not to be concerned about.
It's changes in shape, colour and size, Any crusting or bleeding.
And if the colour appears to be bleeding out of the mole or suddenly looking very dark and different.
Some people call it the ugly duckling mole.
It looks completely different to any of the mole that you've had before or currently have.
And I think a good tip as well is if you're not sure, take a photograph of it.
You know, cameras, just phone cameras.
Now zoom in, take a photograph in good light and take, you know, do that weekly monitoring and then you can look at it, see if it's changing.
But if in doubt.
It's so helpful for the doctor, if you come with this was a picture three weeks ago, this now.
And if you can put something next to it for a kind of size comparison, a ruler.
A tape measure.
And especially with all the virtual consultations, it can really mean that you can have a mole safely assessed if you've taken those pictures.
So completely, agree, it’s a brilliant idea.
What you can do, even if you have to wait a little while for your appointment, is send an econsult with the pictures, and as a GP you love that.
This is brilliant.
I've got all the information I need.
And if there is concern, we're probably going to bring you in sooner.
Thank you so much for joining us.
I hope you found that both interesting and useful.
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