Research from the Cancer Institute NSW indicates a vast cultural shift since the days of G-strings and coconut oil, with adults aged 18 to 24 no longer considering a suntan to be desirable.

But though these young adults are less likely to consciously seek a tan than their parents did, incidental sun exposure is still a major risk factor, according to the Skin Cancer Online Tracking survey of 1983 people.

Nearly 13 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds had tried to get a tan on the weekend before the survey was undertaken, but one in five of them got burnt.

The survey, which was carried out in late spring and early summer 2013-14, found that 36 per cent of respondents regularly applied sunscreen before going out but 40 per cent said they forgot.

The Cancer Institute NSW's Blanche Marchant said said the level of complacency among young people around skin cancer was disturbing.

"We are seeing big improvements in attitudes and awareness of skin cancer," Ms Marchant said.

"But despite the fact they're aware of the dangers of sun exposure they're still putting themselves at risk by being unprepared or forgetful," Ms Marchant said.

Sun protection did not help Lindfield resident Edwina Champion, 21, who had been vigilant about sunscreen and protective clothing all her life when she was diagnosed with melanoma in November.

The melanoma was removed and she was cleared of the disease, but her dermatologist said she had a 50 to 100 per cent likelihood of another melanoma in her lifetime.

"I was terrified," she said.

"I didn't know much about melanoma, but everyone knows that it's cancer. I was freaking out."

The Slip Slop Slap campaign, devised by broadcaster Phillip Adams in 1981, has cast a long shadow, with its message lasting into the decades beyond.

A study published in the Australia New Zealand Journal of Public Health in 2013 found 38 per cent of adolescents had a preference for a suntan, compared with 60 per cent 10 years previously.

Cancer Council WA education research director Terry Slevin said there was a clear trend away from the desirability of a suntan among adults and adolescents.

But there was a direct link between the number of people developing melanoma and the amount of money invested in sun protection campaigns.

When Victoria reduced spending on skin cancer campaigns, people reverted to tanning, Mr Slevin said.

"I don't for a moment believe that if you stopped skin cancer advertisements that in five years time you would see positive trends in skin cancers," he said.

In 2011, 11,570 adults were diagnosed with melanoma, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.