Melanoma is a serious skin cancer which is no longer considered just an older person's disease.

Although there are several different types of skin cancer, most don't become life-threatening because they aren't likely to spread to other parts of the body. Unfortunately, melanoma is different. If not caught early, melanoma can spread from the skin to other organs, often with deadly results.

And this serious skin cancer is no longer considered just an older person's disease. Rates are on the rise, especially among people in their teens and twenties, and research shows that the increase may be partly related to ultraviolet (UV) sun exposure during childhood. In North America, the percentage of people who develop melanoma has more than doubled in the past three decades. Melanoma is a type of cancer that begins in the melanocytes — the cells deep within the epidermis (the outermost layer of the skin) whose function is to produce melanin, the pigment that gives skin its color.

Melanoma that's caught early, when it's still on the surface of the skin, can be cured. But undetected melanoma can grow downward into the skin until it reaches the blood vessels and lymphatic system. These two systems can act like a highway for the cancer cells, allowing them easy access to distant organs like the lungs or the brain. That's why early detection is so important.