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Skin Cancer Rising for Young Women
Sun-bathing beauties risk rates of skin cancer like no other generation. Melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer, is on the rise among women—even as young as 15. Yet the same rising trend does not hold true for young men.
A new study that looked at skin cancer health diagnoses from 1973 to 2004 saw that, beginning in the 1990s, the number of melanoma cases in women began to increase, yet the number in men remained level.
Although researchers don’t know exactly why skin cancer health diagnoses are on the rise among young women, they were able to extract some trends that could be contributing factors:
* Sunburns are more common among Americans than they were in the 1990s, especially among teen girls ages 16 to 18.
*More girls and women are using tanning beds. Some studies suggest that the tanning beds’ UV rays are as damaging as lying out in the sun. However, the tanning bed industry denies these findings.
Why do you think skin cancer, especially melanoma, is on an upswing among young women and not men? Is global warming a factor? Do you think tanning beds are safer than lying out in the sun? [WebMD]
I think it's pretty obvious that young women still spend more time in the sun for the purpose of tanning than men do. Even though we know the risks we choose to tan because we've convinced ourselves we look better when we've had a bit of sun!