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Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffFactors that may increase your risk of skin cancer include:
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Fair skin. Having less pigment (melanin) in your skin means you have less protection from damaging UV radiation. If you have blond or red hair, light-colored eyes, and you freckle or sunburn easily, you're more likely to develop melanoma than is someone with a darker complexion. Fair-skinned people of Northern European ancestry are particularly at risk. Queensland, Australia, has the highest skin cancer rate in the world because it has unusually high levels of UV radiation and because most of its inhabitants are of English or Irish descent.
Though less common, melanoma can develop in people with darker complexions, including Hispanics and blacks. For these people, melanoma is often diagnosed in the later stages, when the lesions are deeper and more advanced. Survival from melanoma is strongly correlated to the depth and spread of cancer at the time of diagnosis. So it's important that people of all ethnic backgrounds be aware of melanoma and take precautions against UV radiation.
- A history of sunburn. Every time you burn your skin, you increase your risk of developing skin cancer. People who have had one or more severe, blistering sunburns as a child or teenager are at increased risk of skin cancer as an adult. For that reason, it's particularly important to protect children from the sun, not just with sunscreen but also with a hat, protective clothing and dark glasses. Although sunburns in adulthood also are a risk factor, the greatest damage seems to occur before you're 18. Infants are particularly vulnerable because the melanin in their skin isn't yet fully developed.
- Excessive sun exposure. Exposure to UV radiation is the leading cause of all skin cancers, including melanoma.
- Sunny or high-altitude climates. Living in a sunny climate exposes you to more UV radiation than does living in a cool, cloudy climate. In the United States, skin cancer is far more common in Arizona than in Minnesota. In addition, if you live at a high elevation you're exposed to more UV radiation.
- Moles. Having just one dysplastic mole doubles your risk of melanoma. But it's not only atypical moles that make you more susceptible to melanoma — having more than 50 ordinary moles also increases your risk.
- A family history of melanoma. If a close relative, such as a parent, child or sibling, has had melanoma, you have a greater chance of developing it too. In addition, some families are affected by a condition called familial atypical mole-malignant melanoma (FAMMM) syndrome. The hallmarks of FAMMM include a history of melanoma in one or more close relatives and having more than 50 moles, some of which are atypical. People with this syndrome have an extremely high risk of developing melanoma.
- Weakened immune system. People with weakened immune systems are at greater risk of many diseases, including skin cancer. This includes people who have chronic leukemias, other cancers or HIV/AIDS, and those who have undergone organ transplants or who are taking medications that suppress the immune system.
- Exposure to carcinogens. The American Cancer Society has identified several substances that may contribute to melanoma, including coal tar, the wood preservative creosote, arsenic compounds in pesticides and radium.
- Rare genetic disorder. People with xeroderma pigmentosum, which causes an extreme sensitivity to sunlight, have a greatly increased risk of developing melanoma because they have little or no ability to repair damage to the skin from ultraviolet light.
