Survival rates for malignant melanoma in Scotland have increased from 30 years ago, ?when only 58% of men and 78% ?of women beat the disease.
The increases are likely to be down to improvements in treatment, early diagnosis and awareness of symptoms, the charity said.
Skin cancer is one of the fastest-rising cancers in the UK, largely due to sunbathing and an increasing amount of time spent in warm countries after the introduction of cheap package holidays.
About 1200 Scots are diagnosed with malignant melanoma every year but Dr Tim Crook, a consultant medical oncologist and scientist at the University of Dundee who treats melanoma and works on Cancer Research UK projects, said survival rates are improving.
He said: "Forty years ago, only around half of those diagnosed with skin cancer were surviving.
"Eight out of 10 is a massive improvement, but clearly we can't stop there. Obviously that means we still need to do more for the two out of 10 where things don't look so good. We've come a long way in the fight against skin cancer and that's largely down to the generosity of supporters who have funded research to help us better understand the disease and find new ways of beating it."
About 35 people in the UK are diagnosed with malignant melanoma every year.
Doctors issued a warning to Scots at the weekend about the dangers of severe sunburn. Accident and emergency departments said they had been inundated with people seeking treatment for bad sunburn.
Cancer Research UK is running a Beat Cancer Sooner campaign ?to celebrate achievements in research and encourage people to raise money for the charity in a bid to fund further work.
Dr Crook added: "We have seen big improvements in skin cancer surgery and research from Cancer Research UK-funded laboratories has allowed the development of drugs like Vemurafenib, which isn't a cure but can give patients with advanced melanoma valuable extra months.
"Work in our own lab has ?identified new ways to diagnose metastatic melanoma at an early stage, where the evidence is that new treatments work better."
Skin cancer survivor Caroline Begg, of Glasgow, was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in 2006, when she was 26.
Ms Begg, once a regular sunbed user, said: "I was very lucky that my cancer was caught early. I think going to the doctor early and the treatment I received saved my life.
"Now I am the most cautious person in the sun and would never use a sunbed. I would urge everyone to take care so they don't have to go through the trauma I did.
"I was very lucky that treatments have come on leaps and bounds and, thanks to the hard work of Cancer Research UK scientists, much more is known about the disease."
Linda Summerhayes, Cancer Research UK spokeswoman in Scotland, added: "Our research is revealing more about skin cancer: what causes it, how we can better prevent it and how we can develop targeted treatments to help more people beat the disease.
"Cancer Research UK research was behind the discovery that faults in a gene called BRAF contribute to over half of all cases of malignant melanoma. Since then, our scientists have led efforts to develop drugs that target this gene.
"The earlier cancer is detected, the easier it is to treat. That's why it's important to get to know your skin and if you notice anything unusual, such as a change to a mole or a blemish that still hasn't healed after a few weeks, then get it checked out by your GP."
For more information, visit www.cruk.org/1millionactions
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