As 20th Century Culture Changed, Risk of Skin Cancer Grew
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Wavebreak Media/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — The incidence of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, has not just grown substantially over the past decade but really since the middle of the 20th century, according to a NYU study.
Dr. David Polsky set out to chart the rise of skin cancer since the turn of the previous century, which is attributed to a greater desire for tans and other changes in the culture of the U.S.
For instance, Americans at the beginning of the 1900s actually worshiped pale skin because of racial stereotypes and the perception that only lower-class people toiled outside.
However, with health experts touting the benefits of Vitamin D to treat tuberculosis and rickets, people began spending more time in the sun and subsequently exposing more of their skin to UV rays.
With Americans also clamoring for a tan, doctors saw melanoma cases skyrocket 300 percent for men and 400 percent for women from the 1930s until the 1960s.
Even with people far more aware about the dangers of skin cancer, melanomas increased during the previous decade as tanning beds became the rage, particularly among the young.
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