The incidence of skin cancer has increased dramatically in the past 60 years, making skin cancer the most common of all cancers. The rate of malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, is now increasing faster than any other type of cancer. There was a time when melanoma was considered rare, Dr. Malczewski said. At the beginning of the century, the risk of developing melanoma was one in 1,500. Now, it s one in 75.
Experts say our culture of sun worshiping is at fault.
Without question, the more time you spend in the sun, the greater your chances are of developing skin cancer, Dr. Malczewski said. The primary cause of skin cancer is overexposure to sunlight. Children or teenagers who have had blistering sunburns increase their chances of getting skin cancer, particularly melanoma, which can occur at any age, even in childhood. But despite the warnings, only 52 percent of Americans wear sun screen in the summer months. Twenty-eight percent usually don t use it at all, according to a recent study by the American Academy of Dermatology.