Victorians know to slip, slop, slap at the beach but often forget commute

Victorians are blazing ahead of the rest of the country with their sun smart behaviour in the warmer months. But we still have some way to go.

Victorians are blazing ahead of the rest of the country with their sun-smart behaviour in the warmer months.

More than 90 per cent of Victorian residents reported putting sunscreen on before they hit the beach or headed to the pool, putting the state in top spot according to new statistics.

But Victorians still have some way to go and often leave themselves unprotected in day-to-day activities.

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Weekday commuting and exercising outdoors were neglected by almost two-thirds of Victorian residents.

“Considering high profile sun awareness campaigns already in Australia in the last few decades, these statistics are shocking,’ dermatologist and skin surgeon Dr Leona Yip said.

“There is obviously more to be done in ensuring we are protecting ourselves all the time.

“Protection is the key to prevention.”

Allegra and Kaitlyn have fun in the sun. Picture: Tony Gough

More than half of Victorians reported they did not apply sunscreen when dining outside at restaurants and cafes and almost a third of picnic and BBQ goers were forgetting to slip, slop, slap.

Even those who are applying sunscreen do not always know how much to apply, with three-quarters of Victorians admitting they did not know what the recommended coverage was.

The statistics, revealed in research commissioned by Nivea Sun, revealed Australians will spend 2.1 billion hours unprotected from the sun this summer.

@tamsinroses