“It’s possible there’s a link between the relatively low melanoma incidence rates in some areas and the fact there’s a higher proportion of residents from non-European backgrounds in those areas. However, at the moment, more research is needed to unravel exactly what’s happening.”
While rates of skin cancer are increasing in Queensland’s older population, they are decreasing among people under 35. The same trend is playing out across the country.
But it’s not just because younger generations are better at applying sunscreen.
The decline can be partly explained by the country’s changing demographics and the increasing proportion of migrants whose ancestry and skin tone put them at lower risk of melanoma.
“Migration may have had an impact on the incidence of melanoma among younger Australians, but social changes may also have contributed to its decline,” said Professor David Whiteman, head of cancer control at the Brisbane-based QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute.
His skin cancer study, released in January 2024, found a larger proportion of Australians under the age of 40 were of non-European descent.
But lifestyle and social changes were also at play, he said, with more young people spending less time outdoors and more time indoors in front of a screen.
Nikki Bamforth, a 23-year-old university student living on the Gold Coast, has competed in surf life-saving activities since she was 11.
“Obviously, you’ve got to be quite aware of the sun, especially being in Queensland – it is quite a harsh weather environment, whether it’s summer or winter,” she said.
Bamforth said the culture of surf life-saving normalised intense sun protection, so she and her peers applied “really thick zinc on our face all day”.
“We kind of looked like Oompa-Loompas, but that’s just what we have to do,” she said.
Nikki Bamforth spends a lot of time in the Queensland sun.
Each year, more than 3600 Queenslanders are diagnosed with melanoma, and about 300 do not survive. More Queenslanders die from skin cancer than road crashes each year.
The Queensland UV (ultraviolet radiation) index is three or above year-round, which is high enough to cause skin damage after just 10 minutes of exposure.
Even if there is no sign of redness or peeling, if your skin darkens or tans after exposure to the sun, it’s a sign of skin cells in trauma.
For fairer-skinned Australians, Whiteman said using the sun for a light tan or dose of vitamin D was “like trying to drink from a fire hose”.
Nikki Bamforth said she would sometimes look “like an Oompa-Loompa” painted in zinc sunscreen at the Nippers and surf life-saving events she competed in during 11 years in the sport.Credit: Nikki Bamforth
“It’s like having a microwave set on 10 out of 10, and you’re trying to make a little lukewarm soup,” he said.
Two years ago, scientists from QIMR Berghofer and the University of Queensland set a bold goal to slash the state’s skin cancer numbers by 5 per cent by 2030, and 25 per cent by 2050.
Their aim is to make it normal for all Queenslanders, not just children, to wear a broad-brimmed hat outdoors. They also want to have at least half of all Queenslanders applying sunscreen daily – and a sufficient amount.
“We need to change the narrative around sun protection so it becomes the norm to wear a broad-brimmed hat outdoors and to put on sunscreen every day before we leave the house,” Professor Rachel Neale, from QIMR Berghofer, said.
“The title of ‘skin cancer capital of the world’ is one we want to lose. We’re calling on all Queenslanders to come together to make this happen.”
But Whiteman conceded it was unlikely Queensland would shed the title in the near future.
“Queensland does remain the global skin cancer capital. It is not likely that Queensland will lose that unenviable position for the foreseeable future,” he said.
Baade agreed: “Even with these changes, it is likely that melanoma diagnosis rates will remain the highest in the world for some time.”
For Randy Collins, sun damage from four decades in the Australian sun culminated in skin cancers – squamous cell carcinomas – on his scalp, which were surgically removed before he was treated with radiation this year.
After years at the beach, Randy Collins endured months of radiation and surgical interventions for his skin cancers. Credit: Catherine Strohfeldt
He arrived in Sydney in 1985 before moving north to south-east Queensland 20 years ago.
“I spent a lot of time on the beaches, a lot of windsurfing, obviously, and a lot of time just sitting around on the beach enjoying the beautiful sunshine,” he said.
Collins, who is now in his 70s, does not spend as much time on the beach any more.
“I’m more golfing these days,” he said.
Collins didn’t realise how strong the Australian sun was when he first moved from Canada to Sydney and then up to Queensland.Credit: Randy Collins
He is quick, however, to point to the modest collection of hats hanging by his front door.
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