Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, and it is increasing faster than any other form of cancer. One in three cancers is a skin cancer, and one in five Americans will develop a skin cancer in his or her lifetime (rigel, 1996).

While melanoma is the rarest form of skin cancer, it is also the deadliest. If it is not caught early, it rapidly spreads to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system and become very difficult to control. The incidence of melanoma has increased at a rate of 4% a year, on average since 1981. Melanoma also occurs at a younger age than other forms of skin cancer. It is not uncommon for it to occur in the mid to late teen years and is quite common in ages 20-30 (Sober, 1987).

Studies conducted at the Harvard Medical School indicate that melanoma may be related to intermittent blistering sunburns, particularly if the sunburn occurs before the age of 20. In a case-controlled study at the Massachusetts General Hospital (Lew, 1983), a two-fold increased risk was seen in individuals having had one or more blistering sunburns in adolescence. Dr, Arthur Sober of Harvard Medical School and other experts believe that a serious burn may alter the genetic material of the pigment cells in the skin of a growing child, leading to the formation of unstable moles that have the potential to become malignant (Sober, 1987).