Beating skin cancer as easy as A-B-C-D

Skin cancer is one of the most common forms of the disease but it can often be cured if treated early enough. Ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun and tanning machines remain the main risk factor but the danger is also influenced by a person's skin type.

A study of 100,000 Scandinavian women showed that high UV ray exposure in their youth was linked to problems later, says biophysicist Ruediger Greinert of the Dermatological Center in Germany.

Physicians recommend regular skin check-ups. "A person should check all over every two months to see if there have been any changes. If anything itches or bleeds for no apparent reason, you should go to a doctor," advises Eckhard Breitbart of the Hamburg-based ADP Working Group on Dermatological Prevention.