Risky rays: skin cancer can be fatal, and serious cases are on the rise. But the disease is easy to prevent and to treat--if caught in time.(Good health)

Good Housekeeping, July, 2005 by Bailey, Janet

Every year, more than one million Americans learn they have skin cancer. The majority are able to have the growth removed through a simple office procedure (although they may be left with an unattractive scar). But some people are stricken with the far more serious--and potentially fatal--form of the disease: melanoma, in which cancerous cells can spread to other parts of the body.

The number of melanoma cases is increasing, from nearly 48,000 five years ago to more than 59,000 today. And it's striking younger people--melanoma is the most common kind of cancer among women ages 25 ...