Metastatic melanoma is an advanced form of skin cancer. If it spreads inside the body and becomes stage IV melanoma the chances of curing a patient is 30 to 40 percent.
Young women are more and more being diagnosed with metastatic melanoma and have a 60 to 70 percent chance of succumbing to the disease.
A vast majority of dermatologists are not in favor of tanning beds.
Last year, a study estimated that more than 400,000 cases of skin cancer in the United States each year may be related to indoor tanning and that 6,000 of those are melanomas.
Very large studies have shown that the more you use a tanning bed, the greater your risk of developing the worse type of skin cancer.
A clinical trial in Scandinavia found that even at 50 and 60 years old the risk of developing melanoma would go up with tanning bed usage.
Unfortunately, according to The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer, nearly 1 out of every 3 white women ages 16-25 years old participated in indoor tanning each year.
Indoor tanning devices expose users to intense UV radiation as a way to tan the skin for cosmetic reasons according to a 2014 report.
Reducing UV overexposure from the sun can be challenging for some people, however, UV exposure from indoor tanning is completely avoidable.
Inspecting skin is one way to pick up the signs of skin cancer. It may be necessary to enlist the help of a second person such as a physician to check obscure areas. Melanoma can hide out on the middle of the back or in between toes or other not so obvious areas.