For people aged 25 to 49 melanoma is the second most common form of cancer, but the risk can be reduced

Over the past two decades, cancer cases in the UK have been rising twice as fast for people under the age of 50 compared with older age groups: almost 100 seemingly fit and healthy young adults in Britain discover they have a tumour every day.

Melanoma, is one of the three main types of skin cancer along with basal cell carcinoma – which starts in the basal cells of the lower epidermis, the outermost layer of skin – and squamous cell carcinoma, which starts in the squamous cells of the outermost layer of skin.