A renowned skin specialist speaking at a summit in Wellington said that exposure to sun in the early days of a person’s life is not the only reason behind people developing melanoma cancer. Addressing the crowd on Friday, Professor Bruce Armstrong, from Sydney University, informed that melanoma cancer rates for younger Australians have declined.

However, it needs to be pointed out that the rates for people suffering from melanoma cancer in Australia have increased. According to Prof. Armstrong, the reason behind older people developing the condition was because of exposure to sun in older and younger life.

Talking about ways to prevent the condition, Prof. Armstrong said that people should apply sunscreen generously and minimize their exposure to sun. Apart from that, he asked family doctors to advise people on the benefits of protecting themselves against the hazards of sun exposure.

However, an Epidemiologist from the Otago University, Brian Cox, said that some research has reported that the use of sunscreen increased the risk of melanoma cancer in some people.

Meanwhile, the congregation also witnessed a lot of discussion on sunbeds, a majority of professors also opined that the voluntary standards set by experts in the subbed industry were inadequate.