The claim: Skin cancer is ‘relatively new,’ only emerged in past 60 years

A July 28 Instagram video (direct link, archived link) shows children swimming and playing outdoors and a woman walking on a beach.

“Skin cancer is a relatively new phenomenon in the last 60 years or so,” says a woman speaking in the video, going on to place the blame on the "the way we're eating." The 60 years claim also appears in text placed over the video.

It was liked more than 500 times in six days.

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Our rating: False

Medical journals show skin cancer was detected more than 200 years ago. While the disease is diagnosed more frequently now, experts say it has been a health concern for much longer than 60 years.

Skin cancer likely around ‘from the beginning of human time’

The audio in the post came from a 2004 infomercial featuring Dr. Lorraine Day, a surgeon who claims to have reversed her own cancer with alternative therapies. She promotes those treatments on her website.

In an email to USA TODAY, the 86-year-old Day said, "When I was young, almost NO ONE had cancer, and virtually NO ONE had skin cancer." She attributed the increase to dietary changes that include the introduction of fast food and processed foods.

But medical publications show records of skin cancer more than 200 years ago, and experts say the most common cause is exposure to ultraviolet rays in sunlight, according to the American Cancer...

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