Evolution of swimsuit shows increase in melanoma.

A new study in the American Journal of Public Health finds correlation between the changes in swim attire and the rise of skin cancer. The study examines 100 years of factors like clothing styles, travel patterns and perception of tan skin. All of these have led to an increase in sun exposure an ultimately an increase in melanoma over the years.

            The study divided the 20^th century in four eras: turn of the century, early century, mid and late century. They studied showed how exposed the skin was during that time period. They found that around the turn of the century porcelain skin was accepted because of racial stereotypes associated with dark skin and the lower-class people working on the fields had tan skin from the sun exposure.

            The study is interesting when looking at the later half of the 20^th Century. As time went by the traditional look of fair, pale skin was not what everyone wanted. Also the fashion was to expose more skin. Fashion no longer required high collars and long skirts. Instead women and men were exposed more to the sun through fashion. From 1940s to the 1960s the incidents in melanoma went up 300% in men and more surprisingly 400% in women. Researchers determined that do to the change in swimsuit attire there was more exposed skin while out in the sun. Women and men were more covered during the turn of the 20^th century rather than the late 20^th century when bikinis and swim trunks were introduced.   Even in most resent years melanoma jumped from 22.8 per 100,000 in 2000 to 28.9 per 100,000 in 2009.

 

Find the complete report at  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2784410/How-skin-cancer-leapt-bikinis-hit-beaches-Between-1930s-1960s-cancer-rate-went-400.html