Melanoma Cases on the Rise

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Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is seeing a huge spike in cases among young women in the United States. "These findings are important, because they suggest that public education campaigns to educate Americans about the risks of skin cancer from sun tanning do not appear to have resulted in a reduction in melanoma rates among young women," said lead researcher Mark Purdue, of the National Cancer Institute's Division of Cancer Epidemiology & Genetics. New statistical information shows that:

• From 1980 to 2004, there has been a 50% increase in young, Caucasian women's cases of cutaneous melanoma
• The number of cases among young women increased from 9.4 per 100,000 in 1980 to 13.9 per 100,000 in 2004, according to the report, published in the July 10 online edition of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology
• In 1935, approximately one out of 1,500 people in the U.S. were diagnosed with malignant melanoma — the most deadly form of skin cancer. Today, that number has jumped to one out of 70 people in the U.S., and malignant melanoma is projected to affect one out of 50 by 2010.
• Less than 33% of Americans use sunblock regularly
• African, Asian and Latino Americans are now seeing a rise in melanoma cases as well and often go undetected longer

"The leveling off in melanoma rates for young men gives cause for optimism regarding a possible reduction in future trends in older men," Purdue said. "However, our findings for young women suggest that we may see increasing rates of melanoma among older women for some time to come."

So the trends don't lie. Taking care of your skin now and tanning more safely with sunless tanners and using broad spectrum (400 nanometers) sun blocks will help protect your skin, but it doesn't mean just putting sun block on in the morning and magically you're invincible. It means that you must reapply throughout the day. Here is a video at ABC worth watching.

According to Dr. Jeanine Downie (Director of Image Dermatology in NJ), "As the Dept. of U.S. Human Health has stated ultra violet rays from the tannning booths are carcinogens (definition)." She says that 71% of patrons of tanning salons are women ages 16-29. "Going to the tanning booth before age 35 increases your chance for melanoma by 35%. There is no such thing as a safe tanning bed."

There is no such thing as a safe tanning bed.
-Dr. Jeanine Downie, MD

It is imperative to wear a sunblock on any exposed skin area when going out into the sun regarless of your ethnicity and regarless of season. "All too often people think that they can go without sunblock on cloudy/rainy days and they're mis- leading themselves. UV rays do not care whether it's sunny or overcast" says Aimee Pennington, co-owner of Salon Doux. There may be those who promote the benefits of tanning, but the reality is that the cons astronomically outweigh the pros.

To learn more about Jan Marini Sun Blocks, Bronzers and Sunless Self-Tanners and how to achieve a warm Summer glow without excessive sun damage, call Aimee at Salon Doux: 209.365.0886

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Sources:
http://www.janmarini.com/11_reasons.html
http://www.nature.com/jid/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/jid2008159a.html

For more resources:

The Journal of Investigative Dermatology

Video: Melanoma Cases on the Rise

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