Is Profit Behind Dermatology's 'Sun Scare' Message?

Next time your dermatologist scares you with facts about the dangers of UV exposure, melanoma, or the importance of using SPF lotions, you may want to read this article first: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harmon-leon/is-profit-behind-dermatol_b_640929.html

One of the most interesting facts: According to the National Cancer Institute, melanoma only contributes just 0.1 percent of all cancer deaths--it isn't even in the top 15 when it comes to cancer.

This past spring the Association of Health Care Journalists called into question dermatology's math about melanoma. AHCJ reported a person's risk of melanoma is identified at roughly two-to-three per thousand. (Whether they catch sun outdoors or in a tanning bed.) Melanoma is quite rare and it's actually declining in most of the population, except for older men, who get it most often. Oddly, the media marketing campaign for skin cancer prevention is aimed almost entirely at young women, who have less than a one in 100,000 chance of succumbing to melanoma. According to the National Cancer Institute's data, that number has actually gone down more than 50 percent in women 20 to 49 since 1975.