New research has found a direct link between sun holidays and the massive rise in skin cancer cases in Ireland in recent years.
The figures from the National Cancer Registry of Ireland have been published in the British Journal of Dermatology.
They show that the number of new cases grew by 1% every year between 1994 and 2002, with that figure sky-rocketing to between 6% and 10% as spending on sun getaways rose.
The Irish Cancer Society says that while skin cancer is the most common form of the disease in Ireland, it ia also the most preventable through proper sun protection.