Avid tanner Brandi Donaldson was 25 when she first noticed a new mole right above her navel. She didn't worry until it started to change.

"It started to look a little different than my other spots," said Donaldson, now 27 and a counselor in Newport Beach, California. "It was a little darker."

It turned out to be not a mole, but melanoma, a potentially deadly form of skin cancer. It was localized and she didn't need chemotherapy or radiation treatment, but Donaldson endured a painful excision that removed a large chunk of skin from her stomach, as well as an infection.

The latest research shows that Donaldson is not unique among the young, who are experiencing a big increase in skin cancer. Even after research has tied tanning to skin cancers like melanoma and basal cell carcinoma, young people still see a tan as a fashion accessory and can be lax about protection.

In a recent American Academy of Dermatology poll, only half of those aged 18-24 said they are very or somewhat careful to guard against too much exposure.