For organ transplant recipients

Remind about the need:

• For high factor sun screen on all exposed skin
• To examine their skin from head to toe each month to check for changes and to see a dermatologist for a full body skin examination at least every year.

For patients receiving treatment for AK

• Regardless of treatment type (cryotherapy, PDT or pharmacological agents), some inflammation (blistering, crusting, scabbing over) is to be expected because the sun-damaged cells are being destroyed. This shows the treatment is working. However, the area of affected skin that is under treatment will look a lot worse for a time
• Reinforce the need for ongoing sun protection to prevent the development of further AK.

Suspicious lesions

• Refer patients to their GP if they appear to have a lesion that could be a skin cancer
• Explain that suspected melanomas and SCC will be referred (by the GP) via the cancer pathway and they will be offered an appointment with a dermatologist. However, a suspected BCC will be referred via the normal pathway.5