Thousands of British women avoid wearing sun-screen when they travel to hot, sunny countries, campaigners warned yesterday.
A survey by Macmillan Cancer Support found that 22 per cent of women would not wear protective lotion in hot countries.
About a quarter of these claimed they would not burn while 14 per cent said it was too expensive – and 12 per cent said they did not believe it would work.
Researchers found that most women – 79 per cent – admitted to suffering bad sun-burn in the past.
This week is Sun Awareness Week.
Carol Goodman, an information nurse with Macmillan, said: “As people are preparing to go abroad for their annual holiday, it is very concerning that nearly a quarter of British women are putting themselves at risk of skin cancer by not wearing any suntan lotion abroad.
"Over two and a half thousand people die of skin cancer every year and so it is a real issue.
“You should put on your sun tan lotion on half an hour before going into the sun, let it soak in and then apply another layer. The lotion should be applied thickly to your skin or the protection you get may only be a quarter of what the bottle suggests.
"It should be reapplied every hour and you should avoid the sun between 11am and 3pm.”
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