Melanoma is the second most common form of cancer in females ages 15-29—an alarming statistic that’s soaring among young women, especially white women. This is largely due to tanning from the sun and in tanning salons. Tanning — either at beaches or salons — is a major risk factor for all skin cancers.

Melanoma is by far the most deadly skin cancer of the three most common forms (basal and squamous cell carcinoma). This is because melanoma has the ability to spread throughout the body even when only small lesions appear on the skin. Melanoma can be tricky to spot at first, which is why it’s crucial to check your skin frequently and visit a dermatologist regularly.

And AVOID getting a tan. Many people have a misconception that having a tan is healthy, but a tan occurs when UV light damages DNA, and that sends a signal to our skin to produce and migrate melanin to the upper layers of the skin to protect the skin from further DNA damage. The signals that give us a tan are actually the types of changes on a molecular level that can cause skin cancer.

“Because there’s a delay between UV exposure and when skin cancer appears, most women don’t think it will happen to them,” says board-certified dermatologist M. Laurin Council, MD, FAAD, FACMS, an associate professor of dermatology at Washington University in St. Louis.“It’s important that young people understand the potential impact of the habits they form when they are younger,” says Dr. Council. “There are serious, long-term consequences to activities such as sunbathing and using indoor tanning devices.”

The Bottom Line
New research from the AAD discovered that skin cancer rates have skyrocketed among young women in recent years. The main culprit behind the spike appears to be tanning bed use. The UV rays emitted from tanning beds are intense and damaging and should be avoided.

“Everyone should be happy with the skin they were born with and protect it,” says Dr. Council. “Some skin cancers are treatable with surgery, but others are more advanced and may be deadly. It’s important that we modify risky behaviors such as UV exposure to prevent the occurrence of skin cancer.”