Regular alcohol can raise risk of skin cancer by 55%

Regular drinking could increase by up to half the risk of developing melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer which affects many young people, the Daily Mail reported.

Those who had less than one drink a day had a 10 per cent increased risk of melanoma compared with non-drinkers or those who only drink occasionally, experts found.

Moderate drinkers, who consumed two drinks a day, had an 18 per cent higher chance of melanoma.

Heavy drinkers _ consuming at least four drinks a day _ were at 55 percent extra risk, according to estimates by an international team of researchers.

One drink was defined as 12.5 grams of alcohol, which is the equivalent of 1.56 units, a glass of wine or half a pint of strong beer.

The extra cancer risk may be the result of alcohol making people more reckless about protecting themselves against the sun.

But the scientists say alcohol causes biological changes that makes skin more sensitive to light and may aggravate the impact of exposure to ultraviolet light.

Exactly how alcohol consumption increases chances of developing melanoma is not fully understood, but the researchers believe that the way that ethanol is converted into a chemical compound called acetaldehyde soon after it is drunk could play role.

It is thought that acetaldehyde may act as a “photosensitiser” _ making skin more sensitive to light _ which in turn generates molecules called “reactive oxygen species” that damage cells (known as “oxidative stress”) in a way that can cause skin cancers.

Lobster: Alcohol drinking increases the severity of sunburn, which is one of the major risk factors for melanoma

Skin cancer is the U.K.’s most common cancer, and melanoma is the most dangerous type.

There are approximately 13,000 new cases of melanoma per year in the U.K. (2010). Melanoma is the 5th most common cancer in the U.K. (2010).

Melanoma is most common in the South East of England and Scotland.

Incidence of melanoma increases with age, however skin cancers are becoming increasingly common in young people.

Incidence rates in general have been increasing in the U.K., partly due to changing habits in the sun, and an increase in foreign travel with the availability of budget flights to sunny destinations.