What started as a morning designed to get people moving became an opportunity to raise awareness about an often-overlooked health concern and encourage people to have suspicious skin changes checked.
Johannesburg, South Africa (14 September 2026) – A community-focused initiative is encouraging South Africans to take their skin health more seriously, with free screenings and conversations around the importance of detecting skin cancer early.
The event, hosted by Bioderma, brought together members of the public for a morning that combined physical activity with an important health message. Attendees could take part in the run before accessing free skin screenings conducted with the support of dermatologists and dermatology students.
Speaking at the event, Bioderma representative Lauren Vize said the response had been encouraging, with appointments booked throughout the day.
“We were fully booked with slots every single 15 minutes,” she said.
One of the standout aspects of the event was seeing how easily a serious health conversation could be brought into a community setting. With runners arriving through the Sunday Shuffle partnership and people gathering for the screenings, the initiative created an accessible environment where checking your skin felt less intimidating and more like a normal part of looking after your health.
Lauren said collaboration was central to the initiative, particularly with universities and dermatologists who volunteer their time.
“When they are in the year of dermatology, they have to also do community service. So they actually give their time to us.”
Dermatologists also give their time because of the importance of identifying potentially concerning lesions as early as possible. According to Lauren, early detection can make a significant difference to the treatment process.
“They know that if they can pinpoint it early, then the treatment isn’t as severe.”
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“South Africa is one of the highest skin cancer rates, especially in the world.”
A change in the shape or appearance of a mole or other mark can be a warning sign, and Lauren urged people to have anything suspicious checked rather than waiting for it to worsen.
“Early detection saves lives.”
The initiative also highlighted what Lauren believes is a gap in public education around skin cancer. While people often think about other forms of cancer and general health concerns, skin cancer can be overlooked despite being something that can potentially be identified through visible changes.
The Johannesburg event forms part of a wider initiative that has also visited Cape Town, with Durban next on the schedule. Sunday Shuffle will again partner with the campaign, combining a community run with opportunities for people to have their skin checked.
“Even though it’s quite a serious thing, we can still add some fun around it.”
And that’s what made the Johannesburg event so effective. Bringing people together, getting them moving and most importantly, encouraging them to make their skin health part of the conversation.
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