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Listen to your doctor and stay out of the sun, particularly if you are a young, Caucasian and well-educated woman. Melanoma rates among this group have more than doubled over the past three decades, and though scientists aren't quite sure why, a new study suggests leisure time spent outdoors is the culprit.
In a study published in the Archives of Dermatology, researchers at the Cancer Prevention Institute studied almost 4,000 cases of melanoma in white women under the age of 40. They found melanoma rates had increased significantly only among higher-income women during the period looked at. In fact, women from higher-income areas were almost six times as likely to have melanoma, compared with women from the lowest-income areas.
"We think this has to do with cultural preferences in higher-income groups for tanning, having the time to tan, as well as sun exposure on vacations in the middle of winter," says Christina A. Clarke, author of the paper.
Do you still actively tan in the sun? Do you use tanning beds? Please let me know.
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