Canada's dermatologists are worried that skin cancer, including melanoma is increasing among young patients. And tanning beds might be behind the rise.
Dermatologists took up their concerns at The Canadian Dermatology Association's annual meeting in Vancouver this week.
The CDA said Canadians born in the 1990s are two- to three-times more likely to get skin cancer in their lifetime, compared with those born in the 1960s -- one in six versus one in 20 for the older group.
Young people aged 15 to 29, especially women, seem to be particularly vulnerable to melanoma. It is the 3rd most common form of cancer in young Canadian women and the most common cancer in young British women.
Brynessa Gradley, a young survivor of melanoma and 21 year-old Queen's university student, was at the CDA conference this weekend. She contracted melanoma when she was 19 and has no family history of it.
"I was getting out of the shower one day and noticed an itch on my leg," said Gradley in an interview with CTV British Columbia.
"I was an elite level athlete and in peak physical condition. They said you're too young. You don't fit the profile for skin cancer."
Gradley says she used tanning beds only a handful of times, and now works hard to send the message to young people not to use them.
"It doesn't matter whether you burn or tan. It increases your risk of skin cancer either way," said Gradley.
Dr. Cheryl Rosen, spokesperson for the CDA, said her organization is lobbying provincial governments to ban tanning beds for people under the age of 18.
"These are minors, and like the issue of tobacco, legislation is a place to start," said Rosen in an interview with CTV British Columbia.
"The risk of developing melanoma is greater if you start using tanning beds at an early age."
In October of last year, the Ontario government seriously considered a ban on tanning beds for minors after the Canadian Cancer Society lobbied the issue. However, the ban never came to fruition.
A survey conducted in May for the CDA found that respondents were ready to ignore sun protective measures in their quest for a tan.
Dr. Cheryl Rosen, head of the association's sun-awareness program, said many people still falsely believe tans are a sign of good health.
"A large number of people would not avoid a tan even if they knew it would decrease their risk of developing skin cancer," said Rosen in relation to the survey findings.
Gradley adds, "There is a culture that being tanned is beautiful."
Meanwhile, of further concern to dermatologists is that wait times to see skin specialists have doubled in the last five years, to about 10 weeks.
And the problem is posed to get worse. The CDA's most recent data shows a median age for Canadian dermatologists in the 50s, with 45 per cent set to retire within the next 10 years.
