In light of the fact that we will rise in Christ, the author of the Letter to the Colossians encourages early followers to “think of what is above” rather than focus on earthly concerns. In light of an alarming rise in skin-cancer cases among younger people, researchers and dermatologists are strongly encouraging young Americans to think about the sun above and the harmful effect of ultraviolet exposure.

Between 1970 and 2009 the rate of melanoma among women increased eightfold and quadrupled among men, according to Mayo Clinic experts who studied medical records over that time span for a selection of people in a county in Minnesota. Lead investigator Jerry Brewer, a Mayo Clinic dermatologist, sounded the alarm about what he called a dramatic rise in the disease for women in their 20s and 30s. “There is no such thing as a healthy baseline tan," Brewer said.

“Even though young people have more of an understanding of the detrimental effects of tanning, they are still not changing their behavior and they are tanning just as much or more as they did way back in the 80s,” said Brewer. Although the current study did not focus on reasons for the increase, Brewer said other researchers have found that people who use indoor tanning beds--a $5-billion-a-year industry--are 74 percent more likely to get melanoma than non-tanners.

"In the recent five years it has been a steep increase," said dermatologist Kavita Mariwalla of Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. "If you go to a high school prom these days every single person is tan," she said, adding that popular television shows like Jersey Shore have instilled the notion that tanning--like going to the gym and doing laundry—is part of daily life.

Doctors urge people to limit sun exposure, use sunscreen, and check moles for the “ABCDE” of melanoma: asymmetry, a border that is blurred or irregular, colors that are varied within the same mole, a diameter of more than a pencil eraser, and elevation or evolution--signs that the mole is raised or is changing shape.

Source: An article by Kerry Sheridan for Agence France Presse