People cool off in the Trocadero fountains during a hot summer day in Paris, July 17, 2014.
People cool off in the Trocadero fountains during a hot summer day in Paris, July 17, 2014. REUTERS/Charles Platiau (FRANCE - Tags: ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY TRAVEL)
People cool off in the Trocadero fountains during a hot summer day in Paris, July 17, 2014. REUTERS/Charles Platiau (FRANCE - Tags: ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY TRAVEL)

A New York University study covering a century points to the introduction of the bikini or skimpy swimwear for the more than 400 per cent rise in skin cancer rates from the 1930s through the 1960s.

The research by the New York University Langone Medical Center explained the link to more parts of the skin exposed to risk of melanoma, which is the most dangerous type of skin cancer.

Prior to 1946 when French designer Louis Reard introduced the bikini, which gained fast acceptance in the US and different parts of the world, only 23 per cent and 18 per cent of male and female, respectively, total skin surface was exposed to the sun, specifically during the 1920s.

After the bikini was introduced, skin exposure rose to 80 per cent among women and 89 per cent among men along with skin ailments. In the three-decade period of 1930s to 1960s, cancer rates went up 69 per cent and 18 per cent among men and women, respectively. But melanoma incidents jumped at an incredible rate of 300 per cent and 400 per cent for men and women, respectively, during the same period.

"This increase in melanoma incidence occurred in parallel with changes in fashion, travel, and leisure that resulted in increased skin and UV exposure," the Daily Mail quoted the study.

With bikinis even shrinking further, skin exposure increased to 92 per cent for women but remains at 89 per cent for men as swimwear fashion introduced strapless tops and lower-rise bottoms.

The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, took into account earlier diagnoses of skin ailments, wider reporting of cancers and changing tastes in clothing and even attitude toward darker skin tones.

At the turn of the century, lighter shade skin was considered a benchmark of economic class status since those from the lower-income class tend to be darker due to their outdoor work, while those from the upper-income class tend to have lighter complexion due to staying indoors most of the time.

More information about the bikini in this next video.

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