Are skin cancer rates rising because more people tan today than did in years past?
Skin cancer rates have risen steadily in the 1900s. And society spent less time outdoors this century than in any previous century. Remember, most people worked outdoors until the industrial revolution in the late 1800s. If anything, the fact people do not receive regular sun exposure, which makes them more susceptible to sunburn when they do go outdoors, may be linked to the increase in skin cancer this century. Again, moderate tanning has not been linked scientifically in any study as a cause of skin cancer.
