With the summer season quickly approaching, officials are warning students to be aware of the possible dangers of having too much fun in the sun without protecting themselves from harmful ultraviolet rays.

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that if not found and diagnosed early can result in death. This cancer is rapidly becoming more and more prevalent among both men and women, but mainly women, Elizabeth Billingsley, dermatologist at Penn State Hershey Medical Center, said.

Billingsley said she suspects the reason the excessive use of tanning beds. These beds contain harmful ultraviolet A rays that are harmful to the body's skin.

Ashley Migdal (junior-elementary education) said she likes to use
tanning beds and thinks they are relaxing and stress relieving. "I do not worry about using them and getting cancer. I feel like people say we can get cancer from doing a lot of harmful things, including tanning, but I like the way I look after I tan," she said.

Migdal also said she prefers to use tanning beds in the winter over the summer, because her skin lightens in the winter.

"I like tanning beds, and while I know I should be more careful, it is something I will do when I feel like it and I am not worrisome about them," she said.

Melanoma is found in raised skin on the body. A mole is a common place that melanoma appears. People with moles on their bodies should be familiar with the size of each one and pay particular attention to an area that has spread or changed color, Billingsley said.

The place of the cancer on the skin, the age of the individual diagnosed, and a person's gender do not have a significant effect on who survives and who does not, Billingsley said.

"It does not matter if a person is 22 or 90 years old. How thick the tumor is and how far it is into the skin at the time of diagnosis is the ultimate determining factor," she said.

Anyone can become diagnosed with melanoma, although some people may be more susceptible then others, Billingsley said. People at higher risk of developing melanoma have fair features -- blue eyes, light skin, light hair. These people are strongly encouraged to stay clear of the sun during midday, when the sun's UV rays are extra harmful.

"People should avoid the sun and perform self-skin exams. Physicians also need to become more aware of this problem and what to look for because it is spreading so rapidly," Billingsley said.

University Health Services (UHS) will examine an individual's mole for any suspicious growth or color change, marketing manager Beth Collitt said.

"If a mole looks suspicious, our clinicians would refer to a dermatologist for the biopsy/removal," said Collitt.

UHS conducts outreach programs through its Office of Health Promotion and Education (OHPE) to educate the community about this problem, especially in months when the weather is warm, Collitt said.

People diagnosed early and treated for melanoma need to be particularly cautious in taking care of themselves, Billingsley said.

"These people need to not only see a dermatologist for the rest of their lives, but realize they are more susceptible of becoming diagnosed again with cancer. There is a genetic susceptibility among family members," Billingsley said.

"In 2006, studies showed that one in 60 people were diagnosed with melanoma. It is estimated that in 2015, one in 50 people will die from melanoma skin cancer. About
8,100 people die each year from this rapidly increasing cancer," Billingsley said.