Article

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in Australia, with melanoma, while less common, being the most life threatening form of skin can-cer. In 2005, an estimated 10,014 Australians were diagnosed with melanoma and 1,273 people died, which represented a 41.9 % increase since 1994 (AIHW 2008; The Cancer Council Australia, 2007). Australia and New Zealand have the high-est incidence and mortality rates of melanoma in the world, a rate which is approximately four times higher than that found in Canada, USA and the United Kingdom. (AIHW and AACR, 2004) The primary aetiological factor in the devel-opment of melanoma is UV radiation exposure. Solariums emit stronger UVB rays which are up to five times stronger than the midday sun, with recent studies confirming a significantly higher risk of melanoma among solarium users (Cancer Council Australia, 2007; Gordon and Hirst, 2008). In fact, just one visit to a solarium increases the risk of developing melanoma by 22 per cent, compared with a person who has never used a solarium (Gordon and Hirst, 2008), and use of a solarium before the age of 35 years increases the risk by 75 per cent (IARC Working Group on Artificial Light and Skin Cancer, 2007). However in addition to UV radiatio