Thousands of New England high school and college students are expected to pledge to stay out of tanning beds this spring break and prom season. For the fourth year in a row, the Melanoma Foundation of New England is sponsoring Your Skin Is In, a non-tanning pledge contest at colleges and high schools throughout New England. Last year, 5,500 high school students participated and the foundation expects to surpass that number in 2011.
“If you use a tanning booth once a month before the age of 35, your chance of getting melanoma increases by 75%,†stated Kelli Pedroia, wife of Red Sox star Dustin Pedroia and official spokesperson for Your Skin Is In. “Melanoma is the second most common cancer in teens and young adults ages 15 to 29. It’s no coincidence that the sharp increase in melanoma in recent years is tied to tanning.â€
Schools from each New England state have already signed up for this year’s program. April 1 is the deadline for the high school program. For more information about pledging, contact the Melanoma Foundation of New England’s executive director Deb Girard, dgirard@mfne.org, 978.371.5613.
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