A technique to show the ageing of human skin as a result of exposure to the sun

The statistics for melanoma in Australia appear alarming, with almost 1000 deaths annually and a predicted one in three individuals developing some form of skin cancer. The cost to the community is estimated to be $200- 400 million per year. With the depletion of the ozone layer these figures are expected to get worse (Beder, 1993). However, many adolescents perceive statistics about skin cancer as applying only to old people. As a result, despite persistent media campaigns about the risks of developing skin cancer and the necessary precautions to be taken to avoid it, there is evidence that young people from widely separated areas of Australia, both coastal and inland, spend long periods in the sun without sufficient protection.