Many in the sunburnt country still like the look from feeling the burn
More than one in four young adults are getting sunburnt and rising numbers expose themselves to high levels of cancer-causing UV radiation with little protection.
According to the Cancer Institute NSW's latest Sun Protection Behaviours Report, almost 26 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds reported being sunburnt in the previous four weeks, more than any older generation and significantly higher than the 14.8 per cent reporting sunburn overall. The survey of 11,297 adults in 2022 found that almost half of young adults reported frequent sun exposure (48.7 per cent versus 41.4 per cent in the overall population), and they were less likely to wear protective clothing, sun-safe hats and sunglasses.
The Herald 's health editor Kate Aubusson reports social media has attracted new sunbathers, with influencers proudly displaying their tan lines and sunburnt skin. They also monitor UV ratings to time their sunbathing sessions for maximum UV exposure, and market apps that tailor tanning regimens powered by AI.
The place of sunscreens once seemed obvious, but TikTok influencers somehow made SPF lose its shine. The finding last month by consumer advocacy group Choice that some of Australia's most popular sunscreens fell short of skin protection, with 16 of 20 products tested not meeting SPF claims on the packaging, has not helped either.
Loading
The 1981 Slip, Slop, Slap campaign was the start of many similar campaigns to combat skin cancer across the country. The initial campaign played a key role in the dramatic shift in sun protection attitudes and behaviour over several decades. Yet Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, with an estimated 169,000 cases diagnosed in 2024. More than 2000 Australians die of skin cancer every year.
The stark statistic and the undeniable link to the sun and sunlamps seems to have evaded most young Australians.
Nationally, Cancer Council research found nine in 10 Australians aged 18 to 30 intentionally or unintentionally sunbathe. Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows that 24 per cent of young women aged 15 to 24 were more likely to try to get a suntan than 15.3 per cent of young men from the same cohort.
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The Advertiser
19 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Research is one of our most precious national assets. It's time we take advantage
I've spent my career as a clinician and cancer researcher, witnessing how Australian ingenuity delivers world-leading outcomes. It's extraordinary to think that in just the span of my career the chance of surviving some childhood cancers has risen from just over 50 per cent to now over 90 per cent. In the last decade, survival from advanced melanoma in adults increased from less than 10 per cent to over 50 per cent. That is thanks to global research, including about incredible capability embedded in Australia's research sector. As the "lucky country", Australia has enjoyed some amazing stretches of uninterrupted prosperity. But as we face local and global upheavals - increasing climate disasters, pandemics and fractured geopolitics - we are on the brink of walking past our greatest opportunity. Our national prosperity cannot continue to rely on mining, agriculture and real estate. What if we recognised that ideas and innovation - housed in our universities, research institutes, health organisations, industry and start-ups - are the strategic infrastructure our nation demands? The Australian government is currently asking what the future of our national research systems could look like through its strategic examination of R&D. Universities are often accused of lagging industry or being slow to innovate. But the reality is university research is largely responsible for the majority of Australian innovation - it's given the world cervical cancer vaccine, solar panel cells, the cochlear implant among many other discoveries that have helped millions of people around the world. Our universities are now at the vanguard of innovation, and they need an R&D framework that will enable and empower government and industry to keep pace. Successful innovations often come from serendipitous discoveries which have been tested, re-tested and refined over long time periods - even decades - timelines that do not make sense for business, but do for universities. Australia has the credibility, capability and culture to become a global solutions hub. We already boast strong regulatory frameworks, solid patent laws, tax incentives, an extraordinary clinical trials capacity and a trusted healthcare-research nexus. We have public trust in science and a collaborative culture. Those are rare commodities in a world awash with uncertainty. If the US or Europe falter under rising costs, regulatory or geopolitical uncertainty, Australia can fill that gap - fast and reliably. In 2022 alone, clinical trials employed 7700 Australians and drove $1.6 billion into our economy. Globally, clinical trials are getting more complex, more expensive, and more dependent on diverse patient cohorts. The worldwide market is projected to hit USD $123 billion by 2030. As pharmaceutical companies rethink where they base their 10-year development pipelines, Australia can and should be their top choice. Universities are a key part of this capability. We need to maintain our public investment in what we call fundamental research - the curious pursuit of knowledge that may not have immediately obvious applications, but is the bedrock of almost every major innovation. This was how the world got the mRNA COVID vaccine in record time in 2020: it was delivered on the back of 30-plus years of hard work by thousands of scientists worldwide. We also need a firmly established partnership model: better incentives for academia and business to work together to get the best of both worlds. READ MORE: This isn't just a view held by universities - the Business Council of Australia and industry leaders have consistently called for stronger R&D investment to support national productivity, international competitiveness and long-term economic resilience. A well-resourced research ecosystem is not a luxury, but a prerequisite for future growth. One of the ways to do this is to invest in knowledge precincts. For example, one of the southern hemisphere's most impressive innovation corridors sits along an unassuming stretch of Blackburn Road in Clayton in Melbourne's south-east. The Monash Technology Innovation Precinct is home to the Australian Synchrotron, the Victorian Heart Hospital, the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication, and Moderna's first integrated mRNA production facility in the southern hemisphere. It's also home to a new $60 million advanced AI supercomputer at Monash University, which will enable researchers to perform unprecedented computational projects. Breakthroughs happen when you build the right ecosystem, and technology precincts can provide high-value employment clusters in the sprawling outer suburbs. Let's recognise that research is one of our most precious national assets - even more so in these times of massive transformation and technological change. Innovation is a self-perpetuating cycle - Australia must ensure it is in a position to mobilise it for good and for our national prosperity. One thing is clear: we cannot afford to sit still. I've spent my career as a clinician and cancer researcher, witnessing how Australian ingenuity delivers world-leading outcomes. It's extraordinary to think that in just the span of my career the chance of surviving some childhood cancers has risen from just over 50 per cent to now over 90 per cent. In the last decade, survival from advanced melanoma in adults increased from less than 10 per cent to over 50 per cent. That is thanks to global research, including about incredible capability embedded in Australia's research sector. As the "lucky country", Australia has enjoyed some amazing stretches of uninterrupted prosperity. But as we face local and global upheavals - increasing climate disasters, pandemics and fractured geopolitics - we are on the brink of walking past our greatest opportunity. Our national prosperity cannot continue to rely on mining, agriculture and real estate. What if we recognised that ideas and innovation - housed in our universities, research institutes, health organisations, industry and start-ups - are the strategic infrastructure our nation demands? The Australian government is currently asking what the future of our national research systems could look like through its strategic examination of R&D. Universities are often accused of lagging industry or being slow to innovate. But the reality is university research is largely responsible for the majority of Australian innovation - it's given the world cervical cancer vaccine, solar panel cells, the cochlear implant among many other discoveries that have helped millions of people around the world. Our universities are now at the vanguard of innovation, and they need an R&D framework that will enable and empower government and industry to keep pace. Successful innovations often come from serendipitous discoveries which have been tested, re-tested and refined over long time periods - even decades - timelines that do not make sense for business, but do for universities. Australia has the credibility, capability and culture to become a global solutions hub. We already boast strong regulatory frameworks, solid patent laws, tax incentives, an extraordinary clinical trials capacity and a trusted healthcare-research nexus. We have public trust in science and a collaborative culture. Those are rare commodities in a world awash with uncertainty. If the US or Europe falter under rising costs, regulatory or geopolitical uncertainty, Australia can fill that gap - fast and reliably. In 2022 alone, clinical trials employed 7700 Australians and drove $1.6 billion into our economy. Globally, clinical trials are getting more complex, more expensive, and more dependent on diverse patient cohorts. The worldwide market is projected to hit USD $123 billion by 2030. As pharmaceutical companies rethink where they base their 10-year development pipelines, Australia can and should be their top choice. Universities are a key part of this capability. We need to maintain our public investment in what we call fundamental research - the curious pursuit of knowledge that may not have immediately obvious applications, but is the bedrock of almost every major innovation. This was how the world got the mRNA COVID vaccine in record time in 2020: it was delivered on the back of 30-plus years of hard work by thousands of scientists worldwide. We also need a firmly established partnership model: better incentives for academia and business to work together to get the best of both worlds. READ MORE: This isn't just a view held by universities - the Business Council of Australia and industry leaders have consistently called for stronger R&D investment to support national productivity, international competitiveness and long-term economic resilience. A well-resourced research ecosystem is not a luxury, but a prerequisite for future growth. One of the ways to do this is to invest in knowledge precincts. For example, one of the southern hemisphere's most impressive innovation corridors sits along an unassuming stretch of Blackburn Road in Clayton in Melbourne's south-east. The Monash Technology Innovation Precinct is home to the Australian Synchrotron, the Victorian Heart Hospital, the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication, and Moderna's first integrated mRNA production facility in the southern hemisphere. It's also home to a new $60 million advanced AI supercomputer at Monash University, which will enable researchers to perform unprecedented computational projects. Breakthroughs happen when you build the right ecosystem, and technology precincts can provide high-value employment clusters in the sprawling outer suburbs. Let's recognise that research is one of our most precious national assets - even more so in these times of massive transformation and technological change. Innovation is a self-perpetuating cycle - Australia must ensure it is in a position to mobilise it for good and for our national prosperity. One thing is clear: we cannot afford to sit still. I've spent my career as a clinician and cancer researcher, witnessing how Australian ingenuity delivers world-leading outcomes. It's extraordinary to think that in just the span of my career the chance of surviving some childhood cancers has risen from just over 50 per cent to now over 90 per cent. In the last decade, survival from advanced melanoma in adults increased from less than 10 per cent to over 50 per cent. That is thanks to global research, including about incredible capability embedded in Australia's research sector. As the "lucky country", Australia has enjoyed some amazing stretches of uninterrupted prosperity. But as we face local and global upheavals - increasing climate disasters, pandemics and fractured geopolitics - we are on the brink of walking past our greatest opportunity. Our national prosperity cannot continue to rely on mining, agriculture and real estate. What if we recognised that ideas and innovation - housed in our universities, research institutes, health organisations, industry and start-ups - are the strategic infrastructure our nation demands? The Australian government is currently asking what the future of our national research systems could look like through its strategic examination of R&D. Universities are often accused of lagging industry or being slow to innovate. But the reality is university research is largely responsible for the majority of Australian innovation - it's given the world cervical cancer vaccine, solar panel cells, the cochlear implant among many other discoveries that have helped millions of people around the world. Our universities are now at the vanguard of innovation, and they need an R&D framework that will enable and empower government and industry to keep pace. Successful innovations often come from serendipitous discoveries which have been tested, re-tested and refined over long time periods - even decades - timelines that do not make sense for business, but do for universities. Australia has the credibility, capability and culture to become a global solutions hub. We already boast strong regulatory frameworks, solid patent laws, tax incentives, an extraordinary clinical trials capacity and a trusted healthcare-research nexus. We have public trust in science and a collaborative culture. Those are rare commodities in a world awash with uncertainty. If the US or Europe falter under rising costs, regulatory or geopolitical uncertainty, Australia can fill that gap - fast and reliably. In 2022 alone, clinical trials employed 7700 Australians and drove $1.6 billion into our economy. Globally, clinical trials are getting more complex, more expensive, and more dependent on diverse patient cohorts. The worldwide market is projected to hit USD $123 billion by 2030. As pharmaceutical companies rethink where they base their 10-year development pipelines, Australia can and should be their top choice. Universities are a key part of this capability. We need to maintain our public investment in what we call fundamental research - the curious pursuit of knowledge that may not have immediately obvious applications, but is the bedrock of almost every major innovation. This was how the world got the mRNA COVID vaccine in record time in 2020: it was delivered on the back of 30-plus years of hard work by thousands of scientists worldwide. We also need a firmly established partnership model: better incentives for academia and business to work together to get the best of both worlds. READ MORE: This isn't just a view held by universities - the Business Council of Australia and industry leaders have consistently called for stronger R&D investment to support national productivity, international competitiveness and long-term economic resilience. A well-resourced research ecosystem is not a luxury, but a prerequisite for future growth. One of the ways to do this is to invest in knowledge precincts. For example, one of the southern hemisphere's most impressive innovation corridors sits along an unassuming stretch of Blackburn Road in Clayton in Melbourne's south-east. The Monash Technology Innovation Precinct is home to the Australian Synchrotron, the Victorian Heart Hospital, the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication, and Moderna's first integrated mRNA production facility in the southern hemisphere. It's also home to a new $60 million advanced AI supercomputer at Monash University, which will enable researchers to perform unprecedented computational projects. Breakthroughs happen when you build the right ecosystem, and technology precincts can provide high-value employment clusters in the sprawling outer suburbs. Let's recognise that research is one of our most precious national assets - even more so in these times of massive transformation and technological change. Innovation is a self-perpetuating cycle - Australia must ensure it is in a position to mobilise it for good and for our national prosperity. One thing is clear: we cannot afford to sit still. I've spent my career as a clinician and cancer researcher, witnessing how Australian ingenuity delivers world-leading outcomes. It's extraordinary to think that in just the span of my career the chance of surviving some childhood cancers has risen from just over 50 per cent to now over 90 per cent. In the last decade, survival from advanced melanoma in adults increased from less than 10 per cent to over 50 per cent. That is thanks to global research, including about incredible capability embedded in Australia's research sector. As the "lucky country", Australia has enjoyed some amazing stretches of uninterrupted prosperity. But as we face local and global upheavals - increasing climate disasters, pandemics and fractured geopolitics - we are on the brink of walking past our greatest opportunity. Our national prosperity cannot continue to rely on mining, agriculture and real estate. What if we recognised that ideas and innovation - housed in our universities, research institutes, health organisations, industry and start-ups - are the strategic infrastructure our nation demands? The Australian government is currently asking what the future of our national research systems could look like through its strategic examination of R&D. Universities are often accused of lagging industry or being slow to innovate. But the reality is university research is largely responsible for the majority of Australian innovation - it's given the world cervical cancer vaccine, solar panel cells, the cochlear implant among many other discoveries that have helped millions of people around the world. Our universities are now at the vanguard of innovation, and they need an R&D framework that will enable and empower government and industry to keep pace. Successful innovations often come from serendipitous discoveries which have been tested, re-tested and refined over long time periods - even decades - timelines that do not make sense for business, but do for universities. Australia has the credibility, capability and culture to become a global solutions hub. We already boast strong regulatory frameworks, solid patent laws, tax incentives, an extraordinary clinical trials capacity and a trusted healthcare-research nexus. We have public trust in science and a collaborative culture. Those are rare commodities in a world awash with uncertainty. If the US or Europe falter under rising costs, regulatory or geopolitical uncertainty, Australia can fill that gap - fast and reliably. In 2022 alone, clinical trials employed 7700 Australians and drove $1.6 billion into our economy. Globally, clinical trials are getting more complex, more expensive, and more dependent on diverse patient cohorts. The worldwide market is projected to hit USD $123 billion by 2030. As pharmaceutical companies rethink where they base their 10-year development pipelines, Australia can and should be their top choice. Universities are a key part of this capability. We need to maintain our public investment in what we call fundamental research - the curious pursuit of knowledge that may not have immediately obvious applications, but is the bedrock of almost every major innovation. This was how the world got the mRNA COVID vaccine in record time in 2020: it was delivered on the back of 30-plus years of hard work by thousands of scientists worldwide. We also need a firmly established partnership model: better incentives for academia and business to work together to get the best of both worlds. READ MORE: This isn't just a view held by universities - the Business Council of Australia and industry leaders have consistently called for stronger R&D investment to support national productivity, international competitiveness and long-term economic resilience. A well-resourced research ecosystem is not a luxury, but a prerequisite for future growth. One of the ways to do this is to invest in knowledge precincts. For example, one of the southern hemisphere's most impressive innovation corridors sits along an unassuming stretch of Blackburn Road in Clayton in Melbourne's south-east. The Monash Technology Innovation Precinct is home to the Australian Synchrotron, the Victorian Heart Hospital, the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication, and Moderna's first integrated mRNA production facility in the southern hemisphere. It's also home to a new $60 million advanced AI supercomputer at Monash University, which will enable researchers to perform unprecedented computational projects. Breakthroughs happen when you build the right ecosystem, and technology precincts can provide high-value employment clusters in the sprawling outer suburbs. Let's recognise that research is one of our most precious national assets - even more so in these times of massive transformation and technological change. Innovation is a self-perpetuating cycle - Australia must ensure it is in a position to mobilise it for good and for our national prosperity. One thing is clear: we cannot afford to sit still.
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Many in the sunburnt country still like the look from feeling the burn
A good tan was once the ultimate look, until research linked bronzed bodies with cancer and the beach look became uncool for generations. Now despite all the known risks, in a new era Australians are recklessly worshipping the sun. More than one in four young adults are getting sunburnt and rising numbers expose themselves to high levels of cancer-causing UV radiation with little protection. According to the Cancer Institute NSW's latest Sun Protection Behaviours Report, almost 26 per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds reported being sunburnt in the previous four weeks, more than any older generation and significantly higher than the 14.8 per cent reporting sunburn overall. The survey of 11,297 adults in 2022 found that almost half of young adults reported frequent sun exposure (48.7 per cent versus 41.4 per cent in the overall population), and they were less likely to wear protective clothing, sun-safe hats and sunglasses. The Herald 's health editor Kate Aubusson reports social media has attracted new sunbathers, with influencers proudly displaying their tan lines and sunburnt skin. They also monitor UV ratings to time their sunbathing sessions for maximum UV exposure, and market apps that tailor tanning regimens powered by AI. The place of sunscreens once seemed obvious, but TikTok influencers somehow made SPF lose its shine. The finding last month by consumer advocacy group Choice that some of Australia's most popular sunscreens fell short of skin protection, with 16 of 20 products tested not meeting SPF claims on the packaging, has not helped either. Loading The 1981 Slip, Slop, Slap campaign was the start of many similar campaigns to combat skin cancer across the country. The initial campaign played a key role in the dramatic shift in sun protection attitudes and behaviour over several decades. Yet Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, with an estimated 169,000 cases diagnosed in 2024. More than 2000 Australians die of skin cancer every year. The stark statistic and the undeniable link to the sun and sunlamps seems to have evaded most young Australians. Nationally, Cancer Council research found nine in 10 Australians aged 18 to 30 intentionally or unintentionally sunbathe. Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows that 24 per cent of young women aged 15 to 24 were more likely to try to get a suntan than 15.3 per cent of young men from the same cohort.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
The sunburn generation: Why young people are risking cancer for tans
'There's also much more sensitivity to body image concerns around tanning than older age groups,' he said. TikTok trends show young women proudly displaying their tan lines and sunburnt skin. Influencers share their tanning routines, monitor UV ratings to time their sunbathing sessions for maximum UV exposure, and market apps that tailor tanning regimens powered by AI. Hannah English, a former pharmaceutical skincare scientist, author and digital creator, was not surprised by the results. 'The tan lines trend is horrifying,' said English, whose online content promotes correct sunscreen application and encourages her predominantly female following to adopt multiple forms of sun protection. 'You watch a tanning video on social media, and [the platform algorithm] shows you more of the same and it normalises it,' she said. Young men were particularly challenging to reach, English said. 'I'll get messages from women asking, 'How do I get my husband, boyfriend, brother, dad to wear sunscreen?' ' she said. Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, with an estimated 169,000 cases diagnosed in 2024. More than 2000 Australians die of skin cancer every year. Grace Passfield has a photograph of the last time she breastfed her baby boy, Lucas. Two large bruises stain her chest and arm – the outward traces of stage 4 melanoma that had spread under her skin, through her organs, including her bones and brain. She started immunotherapy three days later. 'I was an absolute hysterical mess,' the mother-of-two said of the days following her diagnosis in 2021 when she was 33. The physiotherapist had encountered several stage 4 patients who had died in the course of her hospital and rehabilitation work. 'I thought, 'That's what was coming for me,' ' she said. Passfield recalls riding her bike in the middle of the day as a teenager, wearing a singlet top and no sunscreen. 'I got very badly burnt,' she said. 'I was better than most about wearing sunscreen, but there were a few incidents like that. 'When I got a bit older, there were the odd days when I'd forget to wear sunscreen or a hat or stay out for too long in the sun.' Passfield underwent immunotherapy over four years, enduring severe side effects. 'I've had two clear PET scans since my last dose in December,' she said. 'Statistically speaking, I'm probably going to be all right. 'But it's always on my mind. I will continue to have treatment and look fine, but I'm effectively living with a chronic disease and there's always the risk of recurrence.' Professor Tracey O'Brien, chief executive of Cancer Institute NSW, said: 'Even in winter, adopting sun protection behaviours is essential, particularly at high altitudes and on reflective surfaces such as snow or ice.'
