The latest local news, weather and high school sports from the Heartland

KIRKSVILLE, MO. -- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 44 percent of white women ages 18 to 21 living in the Midwest have reported using indoor tanning at least once in the past year and local dermatologists said this is causing a skin cancer epidemic in the Heartland.

Recent data states that indoor tanning before the age of 35 increases the risk of getting melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, by 75 percent. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, and the CDC said reducing exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun and indoor tanning beds is the easiest way to prevent getting the disease.

Dr. Lloyd Cleaver, Professor of Dermatology at A.T. Still University, said he sees several patients with melanoma every week.  

"The statistics in a study out of Skin and Allergy News shows that 66 percent of young adults are getting burned at least once a year," said Lloyd Cleaver, D.O.  "One sunburn may double your chances of getting skin cancer. if you combine that with indoor tanning and it's a double sword. You get risk factors from sunburn or indoor tanning."

Dr. Cleaver is calling the increase in cases of melanoma an epidemic.

"In 1930, one in 1500 people had melanoma, whereas now one in 30 Caucasian women have the disease. "

Skin cancer is often detected through examining moles on your body. If the moles suddenly change in appearance, then Dr. Cleaver recommends getting them examined immediately. 

Cleaver said signs that you may have melanoma include having:

-Moles that itch, tingle, burn or bleed

-Moles that are not symmetrical; if one side of the mole does not look like the other

-Moles that have irregular borders

-Moles that have changed in color

-Moles that have a diameter more than 6 ml

According to Cleaver, melanoma is the cause of nearly 9,000 deaths across the country every year.

Cleaver said these deaths could be an drastically reduced if people would wear sunscreen when outdoors and stop using indoor tanning beds.

"If you have to be tan for prom or for a wedding or for whatever event that maybe special or you just want to be tan, then the safe way to do it is to buy it in a bottle," said Dr. Cleaver.  "There are some places that spray that on. I'm somewhat concerned about the potential pulmonary inhalation of that spray when they spray the tan on. So, I generally don't recommend spray tans."

For more information on skin cancer, here is a link:

http://www.aad.org/spot-skin-cancer/understanding-skin-cancer/how-do-i-check-my-skin/what-to-look-for/what-to-look-for