New figures from the Cancer Council show the incidence of melanoma continues to rise in Victoria, especially in older men.
While the rate of melanoma in younger people are falling, the rate has been consistently rising for men aged over 60.
The Cancer Council's Professor Graham Giles says since 1982 there has been a 400 per cent increase in the incidence of melanoma among mature men.
"People deliberately out and roasted themselves to a nice bronze tan and it's not been till more recent decades that we've been trying to stop people doing that," he said.
He says the research also indicates people who live in rural areas have higher rates of melanoma than their city counterparts.
"If you live in the country, you're probably going to be exposed to sun in a different way to people who live in the city and work in offices," he said.
"It's also likely to be due to the demographic mix of people in the country compared to the town."
Steven Kirby, 53, of Ballarat, was diagnosed with melanoma last year and is urging people who work outdoors to be sun safe.
He has been working outside in farming and the construction industry for the past 30 years and has taken little notice of sunscreen.
"After all these years I think it sort of caught up with me. I have to have check ups every three months now," he said.
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