A treatment for a skin condition that can lead to cancer has been approved for use in Scotland.
Picato gel is aimed at sufferers of actinic keratosis, which causes rough, sandpapery patches of skin on areas exposed to the sun.
It has been accepted for NHS use by the Scottish Medicines Consortium.
The announcement was welcomed by Leigh Smith, chairperson of Melanoma Action and Support Scotland, who said: “Scotland has a high proportion of people with fair skin, which burns quickly in the sun.
“These people are at a particularly high risk of developing actinic keratosis and possibly even skin cancer.
“It is therefore very important for Scots to be aware of changes to their skin and obtain an expert opinion on anything that does not heal and disappear within a few weeks.”
Barbara Page, dermatology liaison nurse specialist at Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline, said: “Many of us are alert to changes in moles as a warning sign of skin cancer, but it is important to look out for other changes too and feel your skin as the sand-papery texture of actinic keratosis lesions can often be better felt than seen.
“If people have any concerns about any changes to their skin they should seek medical advice.”
Picato has been developed by Danish company LEO from the plant Euphorbia peplus, better known in the UK as the common garden weed petty spurge.