Skin Cancer risk please some one explain

[george08]

Hi i was just wondering if anyone can explain the skin cancer risks before i google! in the news today it said that sunbeds have been proven to cause skin cancer and that if you have used a sunbd before the age of 30 (which i have) the risk of getting skin canncer is increased by 75%! does this mean that i have 75% chance of getting it or what? i am going out of my mind with wory!

[Mudskipper]

As I understand it, there's a general risk of getting any kind of cancer, then there's a specific risk for you personally, depending on a lot of individual factors. When the government talks about a 75% increase in your risk, it can only go on the general risk, not your individual risk as it can't possibly know your individual circumstances. As a rough indicator, if your chance of getting a specific cancer was one in ten, then a 100% increase in your chance of getting that cancer would still only make the risk two in ten. Does that make sense to everyone?

Consequently I'd say no, you're not 75% certain to get skin cancer. Stay off the sunbed, cover up in strong sun and keep an eye on any moles you may have. This is a curable cancer if caught early enough.

Take care.