Playing with fire - Lurking danger of summer sun

But face the facts. Invest in tanning now and you are increasingly likely to be facing the prospect of cancer in the future.

That is what is happening to a generation who knew nothing of the dangers of the sun as they were growing up in the 50s, 60s and 70s.

They are now reaping what they sowed. Any many are dying as a result.

The British Skin Foundation says more than half of us worry less about skin cancer than any other form of the disease.

Plus, the majority of us underestimate the risk of developing skin cancer, and how many people in the UK are diagnosed with malignant melanoma, the most serious form, every year – with 38 per cent unaware that the condition can be fatal.

• Are you taking more precautions than you used to against the danger of skin cancer? Vote in our poll and have your say in the comment box below.

Are we still not 100 per cent convinced that the British sun's hot enough to do us any real damage? Or has the message just not sunk in properly yet?

As summer heats up, the Shropshire Star today provides the answer to some of the myths that still surround issue.

Skin cancer doesn't really kill many people in the UK.

False: Around 100,000 new cases are diagnosed each year, making skin cancer the most common cancer in the UK. It is easily treated but still kills around 2,500 a year, the equivalent of seven people a day – the overwhelming majority of these will have malignant melanoma which, worryingly, is on the rise.

"If skin cancer's caught early, it's usually treatable, but unfortunately, it's very difficult to treat once it has spread to other parts of the body. Tragically, there is currently no treatment that will cure malignant melanoma once it has spread," says Dr Bav Shergill, consultant dermatologist and dermatological surgeon. "Other forms of non-melanoma skin cancer can leave patients needing serious work, such as surgery, skin grafts and fillers to repair disfigurement."

You don't have to burn to get skin cancer.

True: It's sometimes a mystery as to why some people develop cancer and others don't. "While certain behaviours, like using sunbeds and not protecting your skin in the sun, can increase the risk, skin cancer can affect anyone and isn't always a result of excessive sun exposure," says Dr Shergill. "It's a complex disease that we still don't fully understand, so we desperately need more research."

However, research has found that getting a painful sunburn just once every two years can triple the risk of melanoma, and sunburn during childhood increases risk in later life. "

Just 15 minutes of sunscreen-free sunshine is all you need to get enough vitamin D. If your skin starts to feel red and prickly, seek shade immediately and apply at least a factor 30.