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Melanoma is the fastest growing cancer in the United States and worldwide.
- One in 50 Americans has a lifetime risk of developing invasive melanoma of the skin, the most deadly type of skin cancer.
- Melanoma can strike men and women of all ages, races and skin types.
- While most skin cancers develop around age 50, melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25- to 29-years-old and the second most common cancer in adolescents and young adults 15- to 29-years-old.
- The incidence of people under 30 developing melanoma is increasing faster than any other demographic group, soaring by 50 percent in young women since 1980.
There is no such thing as a “safe” or “healthy” tan from UV exposure.
- UV exposure causes a biochemical reaction in the skin that causes it to tan, but it is also the same process that damages DNA, causing cancerous mutations in skin cells.
- If those mutations are not completely repaired—as frequently occurs—skin cancers result.
- Since the tanning process appears to be the same process that damages DNA; current research suggest that it may be impossible to separate the two.
