Skin Cancer from Sun: Melanoma

Melanoma is one of the most deadly forms of skin cancer causing about 75% of the deaths that occur from skin cancer. In their lifetime 1 in every 55 people will develop melonoma. The occurance of the disease is rapidly rising while other common forms of cancer have been typically declining over the twelve years spanning from 1992-2004. While it is important to keep in mind that it is not just tanning booths that cause this deadly form of cancer it is also the sun itself.

Many people chose not to put on sunscreen for what ever reason but it does increase the possibility of causing the cells to become abnormal.  As the Skin Cancer Foundation states, Sunburns are an obvious sign of UVR damage, which causes "weakens immune surveillance mechanisms, allowing tumor cells to proliferate more freely." Yet even with sunscreen there is still the possibility of causing serious damage as shown in this video from the http://darksideoftanning.com.au/. It is important not to just tan for vanity's sake but if you do chose to get a tan make sure that sunscreen is part of the  regimen.

It is important to know what skin cancer looks like as well. Everyone has health scares but if you do not know what you are looking at you might believe that something is not hazardous when it truly is. This slide show from WebMD shows the various forms that skin cancer can take along with pictures. These are a few more pictures found from another skin cancer site. This chart goes over the four things that one should look for when looking at possible skin lesions that could possibly be melanoma.
If you are concerned about your skin health it is best to talk with your dermatologist.