Who Is at Higher Risk for Skin Cancer?

Skin cancer can affect anyone, but certain traits, medical histories, and environmental exposures make the risk higher. Understanding your personal risk can help you take the right preventive steps and decide how often you need skin checks.

1. People With Fair Skin

You're at higher risk if you have:

• Fair or very light skin
• Blond or red hair
• Blue, green, or hazel eyes
• Skin that burns easily

Less melanin means less natural protection against UV damage.

2. People With a History of Sunburns

Even one blistering sunburn in childhood increases future melanoma risk.

Adults who burn easily or have multiple past burns are also at increased risk.

3. People Who Spend a Lot of Time in the Sun

High UV exposure—occupational or recreational—raises risk, especially for:

• Lifeguards
• Construction workers
• Athletes
• People who live in sunny or high-altitude climates

Tanning (even if you don't burn) still damages DNA.

4. People Who Use Tanning Beds

Tanning beds significantly increase melanoma, basal cell, and squamous cell carcinoma risk. Using them before age 30 raises melanoma risk by 75%.

5. People With Many Moles

Risk increases if you have:

• More than 50–100 common moles
• Atypical or dysplastic moles
• A mole pattern that looks irregular

Dermatologists often do more frequent monitoring for these patients.

6. Family History of Skin Cancer

Having a first-degree relative with melanoma (parent, sibling, child) increases risk.

Some people carry genetic mutations (like CDKN2A) that dramatically raise risk.

7. Personal History of Any Skin Cancer

If you've had:

• Melanoma
• Basal cell carcinoma
• Squamous cell carcinoma
• Actinic keratoses (precancers)

…your risk of developing another skin cancer is higher.

8. Older Age

Skin cancer risk increases with age because:

• UV damage accumulates
• DNA repair becomes less efficient

However, melanoma is also one of the most common cancers in younger adults, especially women under 40.

9. Weakened Immune System

Higher risk in people who:

• Have had organ transplants
• Take immunosuppressive medications
• Have chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or lymphoma
• Have HIV/AIDS

These patients need regular dermatologic surveillance.

10. Skin of Color (Different Risk Patterns)

People with darker skin tones are not immune to skin cancer. While UV-related cancers are less common, certain cancers are more likely in areas not exposed to the sun, such as:

• Palms
• Soles
• Nail beds
• Mouth or genital areas

These cancers are often diagnosed later, so awareness is essential.

11. People With High UV Exposure in Childhood

Childhood UV exposure—sunburns or frequent sun—has a disproportionately large effect on lifetime risk.

12. Exposure to Certain Chemicals

Long-term exposure to:

• Arsenic
• Industrial tar
• Radiation therapy

…can increase squamous cell carcinoma risk.

Bottom Line

Yes, some people are more at risk for skin cancer.

The major factors include fair skin, a history of sunburns, many moles, family history, immune suppression, and tanning bed use.

If you're at higher risk, dermatologists often recommend:

• Full-body skin checks every 6–12 months
• Monthly self-exams at home
• Daily sunscreen
• Avoiding tanning beds entirely