Women 49 or younger have a higher probability of developing melanoma than any other cancer, except breast or thyroid cancer.

"Both men and women are at risk, says Johns Hopkins dermatologist Mary Sheu, M.D., medical director of the Johns Hopkins Dermatology and Cosmetic Center. But there is one troubling trend. “We’re seeing an alarming surge in melanoma rates in young women. This is largely due to tanning from the sun and in tanning salons,” says Sheu. Tanning — either at beaches or salons — is a major risk factor for skin cancers.

Please avoid getting a tan. "Some people have a misconception that having a tan is healthy,“ says Sheu. “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.”

Take the pledge and help us change this perception that a tan is healthy.