Melanoma is the most common cancer type in the 20-29 age group and incidence is on the rise. While it most commonly occurs in fair skinned people, it also can occur in dark-skinned individuals. Actually, the death rate from melanoma tends to be higher in darker-skinned populations, either because this is a more aggressive form of melanoma or because it is detected later. Although one person dies from melanoma every hour in the U.S., it is often curable if caught in its earliest stages. Nobody needs to die from this cancer; everybody needs to be taught how to catch it while it is curable and how to prevent it by protecting themselves from the sun.

Melanoma can appear as a new mole or an old mole that has changed. Any change in a mole on your skin may be a sign of melanoma and should be shown to your dermatologist immediately. Aside from change in general, other common warning signs of melanoma that can distinguish it from a normal mole are best remembered by the ABCD's: Asymmetry, Border irregularity, Color variation, and Diameter greater than 6mm. If you have a mole that has any of these characteristics, you should show it to your dermatologist. While some of these moles are harmless birthmarks, others are melanoma that can be deadly if ignored.

Some kinds of melanoma may be caused by chronic sun exposure occurring over a lifetime- but melanoma can also be caused by only a few intermittent but serious sunburns that may have occurred years earlier. Having had blistering sunburns during childhood increases one's risk of melanoma significantly.

An interesting point about melanoma, though, unlike the other skin cancers, is that it doesn't always appear on sun-exposed parts of the body. It commonly occurs in places the sun doesn't reach, such as the soles of the feet and between the toes. In women, the most common site for melanoma is the back of the legs. In men, the most common site is the back of the trunk. It may occur anywhere and in anyone, and can even occur in children.