News & stories

Marc wearing a legionnaire hat while playing tennis

Australian tennis star reminds to fans to wear a hat and cover up from UV

Thursday 25 January 2024
Australian tennis star, Marc Polmans, is one of the only players you’ll spot on the court wearing a hat that protects his face, neck, and ears from the sun’s damaging UV.

Cover up and don’t let cancer into your body

Tuesday 14 November 2023
Karen Trafford, hardworking mother of two, and community champion was in her early 50s when her husband first noticed a suspicious mole on her back.
Man in bushland looking at camera

Don’t hesitate when it comes to cancer

Thursday 24 November 2022
Tim’s life has been profoundly changed by his melanoma diagnosis. He believes nothing could’ve prepared him for the upheaval of life he faced this past year.

The right side of the numbers

Thursday 19 August 2021
Matt was only 37 when he received heartbreaking news from his oncologist; “I have good and bad news. The good news is the melanoma in your groin is responding to the radiotherapy. The bad news is that it’s now in your bones. I’m sorry, the cancer has progressed to stage 4.” As a single parent to 7-year-old Nixon, Matt’s greatest fears suddenly felt very real.
Man looking at the camera

I stared death in the face and somehow came back from it

Wednesday 23 June 2021
55-year-old Warren Penna knows all too well the risks associated with too much UV. Growing up in Regional Victoria, Warren loved spending time in the sun. His love of the outdoors continued into adulthood working as a horticulturist for over 25 years.
5 people sitting in the shade wearing sun protective clothing

Teens presenting to hospital with sunburn. We need to do better.

Tuesday 2 March 2021
Sunburn on a child or adolescent means something has gone wrong in our duty of care to protect the younger generation. It’s a condition that’s particularly hard to stomach given sunburn is almost always preventable. It simply should never happen.

Spot what you don’t know about sun protection

Tuesday 2 February 2021
Think you know it all when it comes to sun protection? Take a listen to episode 2 of the Skin Health Institute's Spot Diagnosis podcast and discover what you don’t know!

How do you tell your family you can’t plan for the future?

Thursday 21 January 2021
Tim’s life has been profoundly changed by his melanoma diagnosis. He believes nothing could’ve prepared him for the colossal upheaval of life he faced this past year. This is his story.

When you cover things, they last longer. Same goes for you

Thursday 21 January 2021
A new SunSmart campaign targeting men has been launched off the back of a study showing men can be complacent about sun protection – despite knowing the dangers of sun exposure.
Man carrying a child on his shoulders

Fellas, the 5 things you don’t know that might save your life

Wednesday 20 January 2021
Melanoma kills more than twice as many men as women each year in Victoria. Here are 5 common mistakes that can be easily avoided – and could be life-saving.
Arms with sunscreen dots

Slop on sunscreen this summer – just not aerosol

Thursday 17 December 2020
In the lead up to holiday season, we’re encouraging Aussies to avoid using aerosol sunscreens following new evidence that it’s extremely difficult to get good levels of UV protection from these products.
Male with a face mask tan

There's nothing healthy about a tan ... still

Thursday 3 December 2020
With summer arriving and new data showing Aussies are still tanning, SunSmart is again reminding Victorians there’s no such thing as a safe tan.
Sid Seagull practicing five sun protection measures

Some things might’ve changed in the last 40 years but ‘it’s still the same sun’

Tuesday 17 November 2020
Cancer Council has launched It’s still the same sun, a campaign designed to remind adults and parents of young children that the need for sun protection is just as important now as it was back when Sid the Seagull first graced our living rooms.
Female wearing a face mask with sun hat

MaskSmart but not SunSmart

Thursday 22 October 2020
Victorians are celebrating the easing of COVID-19 restrictions by spending more time outside. But alarmingly, new research shows that most of us don’t understand when we should be using sun protection.
Group of students applying sunscreen

Victorian educators shine as they help children Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide

Thursday 15 October 2020
A record number of Victorian educators took the initiative to upskill in sun protection during lockdown helping to ensure children are well protected as they returned to learn and play outdoors this month.