Melanoma Prevention

Melanoma prevention includes avoiding risk factors for the condition and increasing the protective factors wherever possible. Some preventive measures include wearing sunscreen, avoiding tanning beds and sunlamps, and avoiding exposure to mid-day sun. While melanoma prevention does not guarantee you won't get it, the chances of developing the disease do decrease.

Melanoma Cancer

Melanoma Prevention: An Overview

Doctors cannot always explain why one person will get melanoma and another person will not. However, scientists have studied general patterns of melanoma in the population to learn what may increase a person's chances of developing it.

Anything that increases a person's chance of developing melanoma is called a melanoma risk factor; anything that decreases a person's chance of developing it is called a melanoma protective factor. Melanoma prevention means avoiding the risk factors and increasing the protective factors that can be controlled so that the chances of developing the disease decreases.

Melanoma Prevention: Know the Risk Factors

Risk factors for melanoma include:

Unusual moles (dysplastic nevi)
Several moles (more than 50)
Exposure to natural sunlight
Exposure to artificial ultraviolet light (tanning booth)
Family or personal history of melanoma
Severe sunburns
Being Caucasian and older than 20 years of age
Red or blond hair
Weakened immune system
White or light-colored skin and freckles
Blue eyes
Personal history of skin cancer
Family history of dysplastic nevi or melanoma.

(Click Causes of Melanoma to read more about melanoma risk factors.)

(Melanoma Prevention Continued: Page 2)