For organ transplant recipients

Remind these patients about the need to:

• Use a high-factor (SPF 50) sunscreen on all exposed skin, including lips, when outdoors because they have a 10- to 250-fold higher risk of developing skin cancer
• Examine their skin from head to toe each month to check for changes and see a dermatologist for a full body skin examination at least every year.

For patients receiving treatment for AKs

• Regardless of treatment type (cryotherapy, photodynamic therapy (PDT) or pharmacological agents), some inflammation, such as blistering, crusting and scabbing over, is to be expected because the sun-damaged cells are being destroyed. This shows the treatment is working, but it will look a lot worse for a time
• Reinforce the need for ongoing sun protection to prevent development of further AKs.

Suspicious lesions

• Refer patients to a GP if they appear to have a lesion that could be a skin cancer
• Explain that suspected melanomas and SCCs will be referred by the GP via the cancer pathway, but that BCCs will be referred via the normal pathway.