Teens Say "Take a Stand, Don't Tan!" During Melanoma Awareness Month

The Melanoma Research Foundation has launched a new campaign to educate teens about the dangers of tanning during the Melanoma Awareness month. The "Take a Stand, Don't Tan!" campaign provides teens with the facts about the health risks associated with tanning through media tools such as Facebook and YouTube.

Melanoma is one of the fastest growing cancers worldwide, Exposure to UV radiation such as sunlight and indoor tanning beds, is one of the major risk factors for most melanomas.

“This isn’t a cancer that waits for people to grow old before it strikes and teens need to understand the health risks before they get in a tanning bed,” said Tim Turnham, executive director of the MRF. “Melanoma is the second most common type of cancer in teens and young adults and the leading cause of cancer death in women 25 to 30 years old.“

"Recent research has shown that using tanning beds before age 35 increases your risk of developing melanoma by 75 percent and occasionally using tanning beds can triple your chances. Last year, 69,000 Americans were diagnosed with the disease, resulting in one death every single hour."

The importance of addressing sun safety in the youth population was recently further reinforced by a new partnership between the MRF and "Cosmopolitan" magazine to raise awareness and funds for melanoma research. "Cosmo" readers will receive an awareness bracelet with a $10 donation to the MRF. The fundraising drive is part the magazine’s ongoing “Practice Safe Sun” campaign to combat the high rate of skin cancer among young women.

More information is available at www.melanoma.org.

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