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NHS Devon has won a national award for a social marketing project that the judges said “is replicable across the country and could have a major impact on the prevention of skin cancer among young people.”  

The ‘Love Your Skin’ project, developed in partnership with Exeter College, aimed to cut teenagers’ exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light and change the way they look after their skin in the sun. It was named ‘best social marketing project’ at the annual Health Service Journal awards.  

Devon has the fourth highest rate of malignant melanoma in the UK and this costs the local NHS more than £500,000 a year to diagnose and treat. It is the second most common cancer in 15-34 year olds in the UK.  

To tackle this challenge NHS Devon worked closely with partners, including the Peninsula Cancer Network, to investigate why people like to tan and how they could be encouraged to stay safe in the sun.  

Evidence showed that teenagers are more likely to respond to warnings about their appearance than their health, so suggesting safe alternatives to tanning is more effective than encouraging them to stop tanning altogether.  

Students were offered skin consultations by Exeter College beauty students which began with a UV facial scanner to reveal signs of overexposure and to identify their skin type. 

They were also shown how to apply fake tan, as well as sun protection cream and were handed free samples and information leaflets.  

Student Candy Walton, a student at Exeter College when the project started, said she used to go on a sunbed five times a week for twenty minutes.  

But now she said, “I know the damage it can do to my skin and that’s why I’m trying to use fake tan instead.  

“I used to worry about the streaking so it was good to have the application explained."  

Evaluation of the project showed that the number of students using the shade when the sun is at its strongest has increased by almost 20 per cent as a result of the project.  

The HSJ awards panel said: “The project has a clear behavioural focus, is replicable across the rest of the country and could have a major impact on the prevention of skin cancer among young people.”  

Dr Virginia Pearson, NHS Devon’s director of public health, said: “We are delighted to win this award which recognises our commitment to using social marketing to tackle skin cancer and develop innovative ways to prevent more people in Devon getting skin cancer.”  

Richard Atkins, Principal at Exeter College, said: “We’re really pleased with this national recognition since we feel the success of the project was greatly helped by our beauty students themselves designing how we were going to get such an important message across to fellow students.  

“The award also showcases the benefits of partnership working and illustrates the importance that the college places on health and wellbeing – great news following our Healthy College status that we won earlier in the year.”

Click this link to view the Love your skin page here on the NHS Devon website.

From left to right:  

John Bromley, director, National Social Marketing Centre

Matt Edmunds – public health information analyst, NHS Devon

Dr Virginia Pearson – director of public health, NHS Devon 

Sarah Bird – health improvement project officer, skin caner, NHS Devon 

Tracey Bennett – Beauty therapist lead tutor, Exeter College

Nick Bridge – health and wellbeing manager, Exeter College

Ruth Dale – social marketing manager, NHS Devon

Paul Hopkins, communications officer, NHS Devon 

Michael Portillo, former MP