Pictured above: Dr Simon Reid, authorising medical officer at The Skin Clinic

A leading Shropshire skin clinic is marking Sun Awareness Week with an open invitation to county residents to get a free computerised skin analysis done to find out whether their skin has been damaged by the sun.

Sun Awareness Week runs from May 2nd to May 8th. It aims to highlight the importance of safe sunbathing in light of the rising levels of malignant melanoma, the least common but most serious type of skin cancer.

The Skin Clinic based at The Dental Spa on Shrewsbury's Oxon Business Park is offering free Visia skin analysis, and not just during Sun Awareness Week but indefinitely. Dr Simon Reid, authorising medical officer at The Skin Clinic, said: 

"It can be years before sun damage manifests itself visibly to the naked eye. And by the time it does the damage can be irreversible. In an increasing number of cases it can even cause premature death. It is because of this 'invisibility' that we offer a free skin analysis, to help make people aware of any problems at the earliest sign. The Visia system analyses six features of the skin's surface and its deeper layers, including ultraviolet A damage from the sun. Ultraviolet A is the radiation that causes skin tanning but which is also weakly sunburn-producing and carcinogenic."

To book a free Visia skin analysis, call 01743 343433.