EON

Los Angeles – New research suggests that young women are at an increased risk of developing skin cancer.

In 1973, there were five-and-a-half cases per 100,000 women, ages 15-39. But by 1980, the rate had nearly doubled. And it went up another 50 percent by 2004.

During that same time, the melanoma rate for young men leveled off, according researchers from the National Institute of Cancer.

Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer.

Sixty-two thousand new cases are reported each year in this country and more than 8,000 Americans die from it.

“It’s really worrisome. The ozone level is thinning so because of that, the greenhouse gas emission, the sun is stronger. This is not our grandmother’s sun,” said Dr. Jeanine Downie, a board-certified dermatologist speaking to CBS News anchor Katie Couric. “Young women have increased leisure time so a lot of people are spending a lot of time outdoors.”

According to Dr. Downie, tanning salons are a huge factor in the increased statistics.

“Tanning salons are huge. Let’s say an average of one million people tan per day. And of that, 71 percent of tanning salon patrons are young women age 16 to 29. So there’s the answer to your question because these new tanning booths, the ones with the high pressure tanning bulbs, they’re 12 to 15 times the strength of the sun. So it’s unbelievable the harm and the damage they can do. And if you expose yourself to tanning salons before the age of 39, you’ll increase your risk of getting melanoma by I think it’s 75 percent.”

In the United States, 63,000 people will be diagnosed with melanoma this year.  8,400 will die from the disease, according to The American Academy of Dermatology.

The study was published in the July 10 edition of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.