Monday May 5th sees the launch of Melanoma Awareness Month in Ireland. With over 5,500 new cases of skin cancer in Ireland each year, Ireland has the highest incidence of skin cancer per head of population in Europe. La Roche-Posay, supporting the Irish Cancer Society, is backing this nationwide campaign raising the awareness of the importance of early detection which can save lives, urging the public to have any suspicious skin lesions checked and educating the public on the importance of safety in the sun.

Melanoma accounts for about 4 to 5 percent of all skin cancer cases and it accounts for the most skin cancer-related deaths. It is the second highest cancer diagnosed in the 30-45 year age group and the third highest in the 25- 40 age group. This type of tumour has the most rapid rise in incidence doubling every ten years and has a very high mortality rate if not detected early.