Risk Factors

Many factors can increase your risk for developing melanoma.

• These risk factors include:
• Fair skin, light eyes
• Many freckles
• Severe, blistering sunburns as a child or adult
• Family history of melanoma
• Having had melanoma in the past
• Non-cancerous, unusual looking moles (called dysplastic nevi)
• More than 50 moles on the skin
• A weakened immune system
• Exposure to UV radiation from tanning salons and tanning beds

Melanoma occurs more often in people with fair skin that sunburns or freckles easily. Usually, these people also have red or blond hair and blue eyes. Fair-skinned people have less melanin in their skin, which means they have less protection against the sun's damaging ultraviolet rays.

People who have had one or more severe, blistering sunburns as a child or teenager also have an increased risk for melanoma. Because of this, doctors advise parents to protect their children's skin from the sun. Sunburns in adulthood are also a risk factor for melanoma.

Melanoma sometimes runs in families, so people with two or more close relatives who have had melanoma also have an increased risk.

People who have already had melanoma have an increased risk of getting melanoma at another place on their body.

Certain patterns of moles also commonly go along with an increased risk of melanoma, such as having unusual moles called dysplastic nevi. The risk of melanoma is also greater for people with a large number of ordinary moles.

People with a weakened immune system (such as people with HIV/AIDS or people who are taking medicines that suppress the immune system), also have a greater chance of getting melanoma.

• > Find out more