Skin Cancer Spike in Baby Boomers Linked to Cheap Vacations

Are we learning from the past mistakes of our grandparents?

New research from Cancer Research UK shows that people over 65 are around seven times more likely to develop malignant melanoma compared to 40 years ago, and it’s believed the culprit is poor sun awareness and a spike in cheap holiday vacation packages.

According to the study, older men in Great Britain are around 10 times more likely to be diagnosed with this type of life-threatening skin cancer than their parents’ generation, while older women are around five times more likely to develop this disease.

Compared with just 600 melanoma cases in the mid-1970s, recent figures show that an average of 5,700 pensioners are now diagnosed with the deadly cancer each year.

Two underlining factors can be linked with this melanoma trend in pensioners: a cheap holiday boom dating from the 1960s and the desirability of acquiring a sun-kissed tan even at the expense of a painful burn.

Getting a sunburn just once every two years can triple your risk of developing malignant melanoma and even reddening of the skin is a sign of skin damage, explained the study.

“I was part of the generation where package holidays became affordable and you could go abroad nearly every year,” said 69-year-old retired school teacher, Sue Deans. “I don’t think there was much understanding at the time about the impact that too much sun can have on your risk of getting skin cancer. And I loved the sun but suffered quite a bit of sunburn over the years.”

Deans was first diagnosed with melanoma is 2000.

“I’ve always been quite body aware so my cancer was spotted early. I had successful surgery and have been healthy since – but I’m always vigilant in keeping an eye out for anything unusual or persistent that might need to be checked. Now I make sure my grandson knows the dangers of getting caught out in the sun.”

Here in Canada, melanoma is now the 8th most common cancer in Canada. According to the B.C. Dermatology Association, approximately 5,500 Canadians were diagnosed with the deadly cancer in 2011, and the death rate continues to rise 0.5 per cent annually.

The BC Dermatology Association said melanoma is often clearly visible and curable via surgical removal if detected early.

“Melanoma has one of the highest survival rates compared to all cancers at 90 per cent because most melanomas are found at an early stage,” read the Association’s website.

For more information on melanoma and other types of skin cancers, as well as prevention and early detection tips, check out the B.C. Dermatology Association’s website.