‘They think they’re invincible’: Melanoma rates officially spiked, tanning trends soar in popularity

Skin cancer rates are officially up in Victoria since last year. Why, then, is there a thriving trend of young people showing off their aggressive tan lines?

Melanoma cases are rising in Victoria, the latest data shows, prompting a stark warning about the resurgence of tanning culture among young people this summer.

The annual Victorian Cancer Registry report, released late last year, shows more than 3180 Victorians were diagnosed with melanoma in 2023, compared to 2884 the year prior.

The spike of more than 10 per cent has prompted Cancer Council Victoria to speak out and urge the public to protect themselves from an almost entirely preventable disease.

Details of melanoma’s 2023 rise comes at the same time tanning has exploded in popularity online, with an influx of social media influencers and users sharing photos promoting their tan lines.

The spike in people being diagnosed with melanomas has prompted Cancer Council Victoria to speak out. Picture: Mark Stewart

The council’s Head of SunSmart Emma Glassenbury said a tan was a “sign of damage” and the glamorising posts online were both “prominent” and “really concerning”.

“Young Australians, they know they’re at risk of UV radiation, but they don’t think skin cancer will happen to them,” she said.

“They think they’re invincible.

“There’s nothing safe about a tan and it’s just increasing lifetime skin cancer risk.

Young people ‘don’t think skin cancer will happen to them’, Cancer Council Victoria’s Emma Glassenbury says.

There has been a resurgence in tanning culture this summer on social media platforms such as TikTok.

“We need consistency in that message to help young Victorians.”

The rise in tanning could also stall the lifesaving progress Victoria had made in younger generations.

Ms Glassenbury said the number of melanoma cases among 25 to 49-year-olds has halved since 1997.

“This coincides with the generation who have grown up with sun safety,” she said.

She said the contrast of these figures with tanning’s resurgence this summer highlighted the “vital” investment in such campaigns.

“There is an absolutely good news story in this, and that is skin cancer is largely preventable,” she said.

“UV radiation causes over 95 per cent of skin cancers.”

The 2023 data showed men continued to be at a higher risk than women in 2023, with 1860 men diagnosed with the disease compared to 1,205 women.

Regional Victorians were 54 per cent more likely to be diagnosed than their metropolitan counterparts.

Ms Glassenbury said they suspect some of the 2023 increase was linked to an ageing, increasing population and cases missed during Covid, but melanoma figures were only “the tip of the iceberg”.

“There were over 160,000 treatments for non melanoma skin cancers in the same period,” she said.

“This can also involve confronting surgical procedures and also place a significant financial burden on the Victorian health system as well.

“It’s a much bigger story than just melanoma.”

She urged Victorians to be sun smart this weekend, and said the UV levels were set to hit extreme levels.

“Your skin can burn in just 11 minutes,” she said.

Acting Health Minister Ingrid Stitt said Victorians should protect themselves by covering up, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and sunscreen, and seeking shade.

“Australia has some of the highest UV levels in the world,” she said.