Risk factors are things that raise your chances of getting a disease. Many factors can put you at higher risk for skin cancer. For instance, if you’ve spent a lot of time in the sun, you’re at higher risk. Unusual moles or having a lot of moles might be an early sign of skin cancer, too. Even some factors that are inherited, like having red or blonde hair, increases your skin cancer risk.
At Fred Hutch Cancer Center, our dermatologists (skin physicians) and skin specialists provide skin surveillance (monitoring), for people with a history of melanoma.
Take Charge of Your Health
Talk to your primary care provider if you have questions or concerns about your skin or you have noticed an abnormality. UW Medicine Primary Care can help you get started with screening. Learn about Fred Hutch's relationship with UW Medicine.
Skin Cancer Risk Factors
You are at increased risk for all three major types of skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma) if any of the following apply to you.
Learn more about the risk factors for melanoma and risk factors for Merkel cell carcinoma.
Inherited Risks
- You have fair skin; blond, red or light brown hair; blue, green or grey eyes; or freckles
- You have 50 or more moles
- You have “funny-looking” moles that are larger than a pencil eraser and have multiple colors in them
- You are sensitive to the sun, due to a genetic issue
- One or more of your first-degree relatives (a biological parent, sibling or child) had skin cancer. The more family members who have had skin cancer, the higher your risk.
- You have xeroderma pigmentosum, a rare, inherited condition in which your body cannot repair DNA damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) light
Environmental Exposure
- You had several blistering sunburns as a child or teenager
- You burn before you tan
- You spend a lot of time outdoors
- You work indoors all week and then are exposed to sun on the weekends — while relaxing, gardening or washing the car without a shirt on, for example.
- You live or vacation in tropical or subtropical climates and areas with year-round, bright sunlight
- You live, work or vacation at high altitudes
- You have used tanning beds, booths or sun lamps
Other Causes
- You have been treated for skin cancer in the past
- Your immune system is weakened because you are taking medications for an organ transplant, have AIDS or cancer, or are on immunosuppressant medicines
- You take any medicines that may be harmful when you are out in sunlight or make you more prone to sun damage
- You are older. The risk of developing skin cancer increases with age, but young people can also get skin cancer, and children are extremely susceptible to sun damage.
How to Reduce Your Risk
The earlier you start making positive choices to protect your skin, particularly sun protection, the better. Skin damage occurs over time, and studies show that children tend to get 80% of their lifetime sun exposure by age 18. Help protect yourself and your family by using these safe sun practices:
- Limit your sun exposure.
- Use sunscreen. Most sunburn can be prevented by using a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher. SPF tells you how long your skin can be exposed to the sun and maintain a low risk for sunburn. The higher the SPF number, the longer it protects you from burning rays. For example, an SPF of 30 protects you for twice as long as an SPF of 15.
- Limit the amount of time you are in the sun, especially between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. This is when the sun’s UV rays, which cause sunburn and skin cancer, are strongest.
- Wear sunglasses or a hat with a visor to protect your eyes.
- Wearvavbroad-brimmed hat that shades your face, ears and neck.
- Wear clothes with an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) rating of 50 or higher during outdoor activities, especially if you will be outside for a long time.
Sun damage builds up over time. Severe sunburns during childhood and the teenage years can permanently damage skin cells, increasing the risk of skin cancer decades later, even if sun exposure is limited when you are an adult.
Yes. Although skin cancer is more common in people who have lighter skin, it can affect people of all skin tones. And when it comes to people with darker skin, skin cancer is often diagnosed later, when it is harder to treat. It also helps to know that when a person with darker skin has skin cancer, it often shows up in places that get little sun exposure, like the palms of the hands, soles of feet, or under and around the nails.
Fred Hutch dermatologist Song Y. Park, MD, offers recommendations in this article, Here comes the sun! What’s your skin strategy?