Melanoma Focus

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Melanoma Focus

The UK’s leading melanoma charity funding research, raising awareness plus support for patients & healthcare professionals. Melanoma Helpline: 0808 801 0777

Melanoma Focus is a national charity dedicated to providing a comprehensive and authoritative source of information and support for patients, public and professionals alike, as well as supporting education and promoting research about melanoma.

03/09/2026

Well done Olly!

Today, we are celebrating his incredible achievement and thanking him for his dedication and support to raise vital funds for Melanoma Focus:

8 days.

Elevation gain = 35,000m

Total mileage = 1,865km

Some of the toughest terrain and conditions imaginable.

And one very personal reason for doing it.

Olly has now completed his ambitious cycle across the Alps in memory of his dad, Bill Porter, who sadly passed away from melanoma.

From scorching heat to torrential thunderstorms, relentless climbs and the physical and mental challenges that came with them, this was far more than a cycling challenge.

As Olly put it:
“It was a rollercoaster journey with breathtaking highs as well as some crushing lows.”

But he kept going.

And behind every mile, was a reason bigger than himself, to honour his dad Bill and to raise money to help support others affected by melanoma.

We want to say an enormous thank you to Olly for choosing to take on such an incredible challenge for Melanoma Focus, and to everyone who supported him along the way.

Your encouragement helped carry Olly through the difficult moments, and every donation will help us continue our work.

If you’d like to support Olly, you can still DONATE: https://bit.ly/4z4dbVx

For Bill. For Olly. For everyone affected by melanoma.

Thank you, Olly 💙

02/09/2026

You don’t have to face melanoma alone 💙

A melanoma diagnosis can bring fear, uncertainty and a lot of questions.

You might not know what to expect next. You might have questions about treatment, living with melanoma, or simply need someone who understands what you’re going through.

Whatever you’re facing, you don’t have to face it alone.

Melanoma Focus is here to provide trusted information, support and resources for those affected by melanoma and their loved ones.

Because having melanoma shouldn’t mean having to navigate it alone.

This is why here at Melanoma Focus we will be highlighting various support routes available to patients, the impact of melanoma on mental health, real experiences from melanoma patients and those who support them and expert advice and guidance from our Melanoma Ambassadors.

Find support and information via our website: https://melanomafocus.org/

01/09/2026

The seasons are changing. It’s time to check if your skin has changed 🍂

As the summer comes to an end and we start reaching for jumpers and jackets, it’s a good time to take a few minutes to get to know your skin.

Have you noticed any new or changing moles or lesions?
Checking your skin regularly can help you spot changes that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Take a few minutes to check your skin from head to toe 🔎

Take pictures and store them in a separate folder on your phone

Remember, if you are worried contact your GP. Most of the time it could be nothing but its always worth getting checked.

Know your skin. Notice what’s normal for you.

31/08/2026

📣 Reminder – The Melanoma Helpline will be closed today for the Bank Holiday (31st August)

It will reopen as normal on Tuesday 1st September 2026:
🕐 1pm-2pm & 7pm-9pm
📱 0808 801 0777

28/08/2026

Skin On Fire | Are you ready for the Bank Holiday? 🔥

A long weekend means more time outside, walking, gardening, watching sport, heading to the beach, enjoying a BBQ or simply sitting in the garden.
So, before you head out, make sure your skin is ready for whatever activities you choose!

Remember:
☀️ Check the UV Index on your trusted weather app. When it reaches 3 (moderate) or above, think about protecting your skin.
🧴 Have your broad spectrum SPF30+ (minimum) and apply generously to exposed skin.
🔄 Remember to reapply, particularly after swimming or sweating/
🧢 Cover up with clothing and a wide-brimmed hat.
🕶️ Protect your eyes with UV-protective sunglasses.
🌳 Find some shade, particularly when the sun is strongest between 11am – 3pm.

Don’t forget that you don’t have to be abroad or lying on a beach to be exposed to UV, even in the UK and when it’s cloudy you need to protect your skin.

This Bank Holiday, enjoy the extra time outside, just don’t let your skin be the thing that pays the price.

Make skin protection part of your plans 🔥

27/08/2026

Please join us in welcoming our newest Melanoma Focus Ambassador, Dr Alia Ahmed 💙

We’re delighted to introduce Dr Alia, Consultant Dermatologist and specialist Psychodermatology.

But what exactly is psychodermatology?

It’s an approach that recognises the important relationship between skin, mind and emotional wellbeing and how living with skin conditions can affect how we feel, think and experience everyday life.

For those affected by melanoma, the impact doesn’t necessarily end when treatment does.

A diagnosis, changes to your appearance, scars, uncertainty and fear of recurrence can all affect emotional wellbeing and quality of life.

Dr Alia brings a wealth of experience in supporting those with skin health, melanoma and psychological wellbeing intersect, and we’re incredibly excited to have her expertise as part of the Melanoma Focus community.

Over the coming months, she’ll be helping us explore the often unseen emotional impact of melanoma, from body image and confidence to coping with life after treatment.

Welcome to the Melanoma Focus Ambassador team, Dr Alia 💙

We can’t wait to share more of our projects with Dr Alia!

26/08/2026

Tanmaxxing isn’t just about chasing the perfect tan 🔥

The latest trend can involve deliberately increasing UV exposure, and in some cases, skipping the SPF30+ completely!

Hear from Melanoma Focus Ambassador and Consultant Dermatologist Dr Sarah Elyoussfi break down the risk of tanmaxxing and what happens when your skin is damaged: your melanocytes are working overtime to try and protect you from further DNA damage and by exposing your skin on purpose can lead to an increased risk of melanoma.

A tan does NOT mean your skin is healthy

Remember:
🔥A tan is your body's defence response to UV exposure
🧬 UV radiation damages DNA in skin cells
⚠️ UV exposure is the main cause of melanoma

As part of our Skin On Fire campaign, we are challenging behaviours around skin protection.

We’re not here to judge anyone who has followed a tanning trend, we are here to ensure people have the correct information they need to make informed decisions about their skin care.

Help make skin protection the trend that never goes out of style by promoting:
📱Checking the UV Index via your weather app before heading outdoors
🧴Applying a broad-spectrum SPF 30+ sunscreen when the UV Index is 3 (moderate) or above
⏰Reapplying every 2 hours, and more often if you're sweating
🧢Wearing a hat and cover up with clothing
🕶️Wearing UV-protective sunglasses
🌳Seeking shade during peak hours 11am – 3pm

Don’t forget to share this video with someone who needs to hear it 💙

25/08/2026

Yesterday, we showed you how action can save lives through Jessica Zbinden-Webster’s campaign: Axe the SPF Tax and the vital commissioned work and research from Melanoma Focus that supported this work.

Today, we’re asking you to support Melanoma Focus so that we can continue bringing meaningful changes by taking part in our Movement Challenge.

From 1 October – 5 November, take on five weeks of movement, fundraising and making every step count.

And the best part? You get to choose the challenge!

🚶 Walk the dog
🏃 Run your first 5K
🚴 Cycle to work
🏌️ Play a round of golf
🏊 Swim
💃 Dance in your living room
…or find your own way to move!

Set yourself a goal of:

💪 20 hours — just over 30 minutes a day
💪 35 hours — 1 hour a day
💪 50 hours — just under 1.5 hours a day

Or make your own goal!

Because just like our recent support and guidance to make sunscreen more affordable, changes start when people take action.

Every mile, every step and every pound raised will help Melanoma Focus:

🔬 Fund vital melanoma research
💙 Support patients and carers
📞 Provide specialist support through our Melanoma Helpline with our skin cancer specialist nurses
📚 Educate healthcare professionals
☀️ Raise awareness of prevention and early detection

You don’t need to be an athlete, you just need to move.

Don’t forget to tag the person that you want to take on the challenge with 👇

Sign up and make your movement matter: https://melanomafocus.org/get-involved/challenge-events/the-melanoma-movement-challenge/

25/08/2026

A w**d called melanoma.

Imagine a beautiful flower bed.

Colourful flowers. White, pink and red.

Then, a w**d appears.

You pull it from the surface, but beneath the soil, its roots may tell a different story.
In her powerful poem, “A W**d Called Melanoma,” melanoma patient Anne Martin uses this image to describe the experience of living with melanoma, from diagnosis and treatment to the uncertainty and fear that can remain long afterwards.

For some, the end of treatment does not mean the end of melanoma’s impact.
Scans. Appointments. New symptoms. Every ache or pain.

And the fear it will return.

Anne’s words capture something that can be difficult to explain: the visible part of melanoma may be treated but the emotional impact can stay with you.

We’re incredibly grateful to Anne for allowing us to share her poem and experience.

We hope her words help others understand that melanoma is more than what can be seen on the skin.

Share Anne’s poem to help raise awareness of the realities of melanoma.

24/08/2026

Sunscreen is not a luxury. It's an essential part of protecting your skin.

Melanoma Focus Trustee Dr Miranda Payne adds her voice to calls for VAT sunscreen to be scrapped across national television.

Sunscreen is currently subject to VAT, adding to the cost of a product that plays an important role in protecting our skin from harmful UV radiation.

And we have evidence to show why this needs to change.
In 2024, Melanoma Focus commissioned independent health-economic research to examine what could happen if VAT was removed from SPF30+ sunscreen.

The findings showed that:
👉More than £128 million could be saved by the NHS every year in treatment costs.
👉Around 2,500 – 3,200 cases of melanoma could be prevented each year over the next decade.
👉Around 300 lives could potentially be saved every year.

A more recent 2025 survey carried out for Melanoma Focus found that 56% of respondents would be more likely to use sunscreen regularly if it was 20% cheaper.

This is about making prevention more accessible and recognising sunscreen for what it is, an important tool in protecting public health.

We also want to recognise Jessica Zbinden-Webster, whose experience of skin cancer inspired her to launch the Axe the SPF Tax petition. Jessica has taken the campaign forward to Parliament.

From research to campaigning, we will keep pushing for change.

Find out more about our work and the evidence behind the campaign:
https://melanomafocus.org/about-us/what-we-do/

Sign Jessica's petition TODAY to support this campaign:
https://bit.ly/AxeTheSPFTaxPetition

Address

Salisbury House Station Road
Cambridge
CB12LA

Website

http://www.melanomafocus.org/

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