Skin Cancer, Nonmelanoma: What Increases Your Risk

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What Increases Your Risk

Risk factors for nonmelanoma skin cancer include:^{5 3}

• Having a skin type that sunburns easily. People with light skin color, freckles, blond or red hair, and blue or light-colored eyes have sensitive skin and are prone to sunburn.
• A history of severe sunburns, especially during childhood.
• A family history of skin cancer or a personal history of skin cancer.
• Celtic ancestry, such as Irish or Scottish.
• Being older than 40.
• Living close to the equator, where the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays are stronger.
• Working outside without protecting your skin from the sun.
• Xeroderma pigmentosum, a rare genetic disorder that causes extreme sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation.
• Being male. Men develop skin cancer more often than women.
• Smoking.
• Repeated exposure to X-rays, certain chemicals (such as arsenic, coal tar, creosote), and radioactive substances (such as radium).
• Scars from severe burns or inflammatory skin conditions.

Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas can occur in people with dark skin, but these cancers are much more common in people with light skin.

The risk of squamous cell carcinoma is higher in people who have had organ transplants and take medicines to prevent rejection of the new organ.²

Last updated:	October 14, 2008
Author:	Bets Davis, MFA
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Alexander H. Murray, MD, FRCPC - Dermatology
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC