A new high-tech app lets users see the damaging ultraviolet rays from the sun that cause sunburn and increase the risk of skin cancer.
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Using augmented reality technology, the Cancer Council’s seeUV app shows people the UV rays around them, using their mobile phone or tablet.
The app also has a selfie function which shows the premature ageing, wrinkling and sunspots that could occur as a result of long-term UV damage to a person’s skin.
“While a sunburn or tan fades, UV damage remains. With the seeUV app, we’re asking users to think about how that damage might present in five, 10 or 20 years down the track,” said SunSmart manager Heather Walker.
“Unfortunately the more UV damage you have, the greater your risk of skin cancer,” Ms Walker said.
More than 50 Ballarat residents are diagnosed with melanoma every year, and two in three people will be diagnosed with skin cancer before they turn 70.
A Cancer Council Victoria study has found more than a third of Victorians don’t know that UV levels, not temperature, cause sunburn.
Ms Walker said it was important for people to think about UV, not heat, when making decisions about sun protection.
“UV radiation is the major cause of skin cancer, but the problem is none of our senses can actually detect it. It’s not like sunlight that we can see, or the sun’s heat, which we can feel.
“As a result, we usually don’t realise how strong the rays are until the damage has already been done,” Ms Walker said.
The seeUV app is available free on Google Play and is coming soon to the App Store.