People are being urged to check, and look after, their skin as cases of a potentially deadly disease have reached a record high.
Cancer Research UK said skin cancer diagnoses across all age groups have now hit 17,500 each year. A boom of cheap package holidays in the 1960s has also been linked to a rise in skin cancer in older adults.
Case rates among adults over 55 have risen by 195% since the 1990s. A Cancer Research spokesperson said: "The rise in rates in over-55s is likely to be linked to trends to have tanned skin and the cheap package holiday boom dating from the 1960s before people became more aware of skin cancer".
READ MORE: Expert's stark warning to anyone who tans in the sun
Other factors could also be at play, including a growing and ageing population as well as more people getting their skin checked when they notice changes. The charity has estimated that across all age groups, melanoma skin cancer cases could increase by around 50% over the next 20 years, hitting a record 26,500 a year by 2040.
Cancer Research UK's chief executive Michelle Mitchell said: "Melanoma is the UK's fifth most common cancer, and we know that 86% of these skin cancers could be prevented.
"It's important to take care in the sun and to contact your GP if you notice any unusual changes to your skin - it's not just changes to a mole that matter, it could be a sore that doesn't heal or any unusual changes to an area of your skin. Spotting cancer early can make all the difference."
A new mole or a change in an existing mole may be signs of melanoma. Other skin cancer symptoms can include a sore that doesn't heal, an ulcer (an area of broken down skin), a lump, or red patches on your skin.
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