Sun Protection Season Starts in Spring, Not Summer
It doesn't feel like sunscreen weather yet. Officially, in Victoria, it already is.
Cancer Council Victoria's SunSmart guidance marks sun protection season as September through to the end of April, the period when UV levels reliably reach 3 or above. Outside that window, roughly April to September, average UV levels tend to sit below 3 and sun protection isn't usually necessary. That threshold has already been crossed for the season, regardless of how mild or overcast the day looks.
Why spring catches people out
Winter habits are hard to shake. After months of not thinking about sunscreen, it takes a specific prompt to bring it back into the routine, and “it still looks cloudy” or “it's not that warm yet” both feel like reasonable enough reasons to wait. UV radiation doesn't work on that logic. It's measured independently of temperature and cloud cover, and it can sit at damaging levels well before a day feels like summer.
What to bring back into the routine
Cancer Council Australia's long-running sun safety message, slip, slop, slap, seek, slide, still holds: slip on covering clothing, slop on SPF30 or higher sunscreen, slap on a hat, seek shade, and slide on sunglasses. None of it requires waiting for a heatwave.
A good prompt to get checked too
The start of sun protection season is also a sensible time to book a skin check, before the season is properly underway rather than after it. Any changes that developed over the previous summer are easier to catch now than if they're left until autumn.
At SkinGP Woodend, our Accredited Skin Cancer Doctors use dermoscopy and FotoFinder total body photography at every Full Skin Check. No referral is required, and you can book directly via our website.
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