There are now over 11,000 cases of skin cancer diagnosed every year in Scotland.

The massive figure means that skin cancer is now the fastest growing cancer in the country.

Because it is mainly caused by ultraviolet light from the sun and sun beds, there are simple steps that we can all take to reduce our risk of it developing.

To tell people these steps, the cancer team has launched a new campaign to urge people to stay safe while having fun in the sun this summer and to be aware of the signs of skin cancer.

Our humorous social media campaign is a video parody of the Robert Burns poem ‘My Love is Like a Red Red Rose’.

The video sees Rabbie Burns suffering from sunburn on a trip to the beach, while his friend ‘Rabbie Disnae Burn’ has a fun day out as he has protected himself from the sun.

As well as staying safe in the sun, it is really important that we all know the signs and symptoms of skin cancer.

Melanoma is unpredictable. 50 per cent of the time it’s in a brand new mole that has never been there before. The other 50 per cent of the time it’s a mole that is changing.

The best thing to do is to check your skin once a month from the top of your head to the soles of your feet.

When it comes to melanoma, you are looking for the ‘abcd’ of changes. You need to look for any change in asymmetry – where one half of the mole doesn’t match the other, any change the border/outline of the mole, any change in the colour of the mole or any change to its diameter/size.

If your mole is asymmetrical, has a raggedy border, has more than two colours or is larger than 6mm – you need to get it checked out as soon as possible.

People are becoming a lot more mobile than we used to be. People go on holiday a lot more and some even go abroad several times a year.

Although we enjoy time in the sun, it is important to remember that the biggest risk factor for skin cancer is sun exposure.

A sun tan is your natural immune system fighting to protect your body. So, although people think a sun tan gives you a healthy glow it is actually not a healthy thing to have.

People with skin cancer are getting younger. A large percentage of patients are between the ages of 24 and 45.

Although people are becoming more aware of skin cancer, many still believe that it will never happen to them and don’t look after themselves properly.

Lots of people think that it’s a good idea to go on a sun bed before they go on holiday to give themselves a base coat. However this doesn’t protect you at all and all this has done is trigger your immune system. A base coat won’t give you a boost for your tan.

If you would like to view the campaign video, visit www.vimeo.com/130749615