Constantly following fashion trends and frequent tanning may cause melanoma, said a new study to be published in the October 6 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.

For this study, researchers from the Ronald O. Perelman Department of Dermatology and NYU Langone Medical Center studied the transformation of fashion trends in the 1900s.

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They analyzed clothing styles, social norms, tanned skin perception, medical perception, economic trends and travel patterns of the era.

David Polsky, one of the researchers, said sunshine was used as a treatment for rickets and tuberculosis in the early 20th century.

This caused people to believe the benefits of tanning and to start wearing swimwear and sportswear that covered less skin, he explained.

People, however, tend to forget the dangers of too much UV or ultraviolet light exposure, he added.

Researchers found out there's been a reversal in perception about tanned skin. People now considered having a tanned skin as sign of good life and health.

Doctors are still concerned about the increasing incidence of melanoma and the number of young people that die because of this disease.

Polsky noted the years of life lost to melanoma are as high as the number of people afflicted with breast cancer.

He encourages individuals to follow the footsteps of Australia, which is considered the skin cancer capital of the world.

Australia managed to turn things around through public education campaigns and changed views on tanning, he explained.

A person's attitude towards tanning shapes his exposure to the sun but keep in mind that more skin, more sun and more tans lead to more melanoma, he concluded.