Bikini blamed for melanoma increase

The increased popularity of the bikini in recent decades is being blamed for a rapid increase in skin cancer among women. The most deadly form of skin cancer, melanoma, has increased nearly 100% in 20- to 24-year-old women and, according to a report in The Independent, the trend for smaller swimming costumes is being linked to the increase. The newspaper, which reports from the third international conference on teenage cancer, being held in London, states that the pattern of melanomas has changed in recent years. It quotes Peter Selby, a cancer professor, as saying that most melanomas in women aged 15-24 are seen on the trunk of the body – a different situation to that 30 years ago. He reportedly said: “We were taught that melanomas occurred on the legs and arms of women, which were the parts exposed to the sun, while in men it was on their trunks because they took their shirts off. Now that has changed.” Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad