The rate of melanoma has been steadily increasing. This year, the American Cancer Society estimates more than 76,000 new cases. It's something teenagers not only need to prevent, but they need to look out for it.

19-year-old Adrian Plotnicoff gets a thorough skin check-up by his dermatologist every six months. He's had pre-cancerous moles removed in the past, so Plotnicoff is always on the lookout for anything that looks suspicious. He noticed something wrong in January. "I actually noticed it in my skin check that there was a weird mole between my toes I had never seen before," Plotnicoff said. "He takes his shoe off it, we look at it and it's pitch black, irregular," said Dr. Marta Rendon, a dermatologist.

It turned out to be malignant melanoma. Also surprising was the fact that this college freshman is not Dr. Rendon's youngest patient with this type of cancer. "I had a 10 year old with melanoma several years ago," Dr. Rendon said.

Dr. Rendon says melanoma is the second leading cause of cancer in people ages 15 to 29. "40% of them are diagnosed late because we don't think about kids having skin cancer," Dr. Rendon said.

Plotnicoff's melanoma was detected early and surgically removed. "It's a very scary word but I was extremely relieved that we had a doctor that I know was behind us and got him immediate attention," said Laura Plotnicoff, Adrian's mother.

Now, they're hoping to get the attention of young sun lovers who might not realize the importance of using sunscreen and re-applying it at least every two hours. The American Academy of Dermatology urges everyone to check their own skin for possible warning signs. "If something pops up out of the blue, it's black, dark or if it bleeds grows or changes color any of those signs you need to bring it up to your doctor," Dr. Rendon said.

It's a good idea to have your doctor check your skin once a year, especially if you have a family or personal history of any type of skin cancer.

Do you check your skin? If so, how often? Do you worry about your kids getting skin cancer? Are you surprised to hear they can develop it? What precautionary measures do you take? Leave your thoughts below.

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Information courtesy of NBC News.