Skin Cancer Prevention

Taking steps to prevent skin cancer means avoiding the risk factors and increasing the protective factors that can be controlled so that the chances of developing the disease decrease. Suggestions for how to do this include avoiding exposure to mid-day sun, wearing long pants and shirts outside, and applying sunscreen. Perhaps the most important prevention tip is to avoid exposure to UV radiation.

Skin Cancer Information

Skin Cancer Prevention: An Introduction

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

Anything that increases a person's chances of developing skin cancer is called a skin cancer risk factor; anything that decreases a person's chances is called a skin cancer protective factor. Preventing skin cancer means avoiding the risk factors and increasing the protective factors that can be controlled so that the chances of developing skin cancer decreases.

Know the Risk Factors

Risk factors for nonmelanoma skin cancer include:

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation
Fair complexion (blond or red hair, fair skin, green or blue eyes, history of freckling)
Scars or burns on the skin
Infection with certain human papillomaviruses
Exposure to arsenic
Chronic skin inflammation or skin ulcers
Radiation therapy
Medical conditions or drugs that suppress the immune system (immunosuppressants)
Personal history of one or more skin cancers
Family history of skin cancer
Actinic keratosis
Bowen's disease
Diseases that make the skin sensitive to the sun, such as xeroderma pigmentosum, albinism, and basal cell nevus syndrome.

(Click Causes of Skin Cancer to read more about skin cancer risk factors.)

(Skin Cancer Prevention Continued: Page 2)