On this page:

• Who Is at Risk?
• Uncontrollable & Controllable Risk Factors
• Other Possible Risk Factors

About Melanoma: Who Is at Risk?

	No one is immune to melanoma, regardless of skin color. The reggae singer Bob Marley (l.) died of melanoma in 1981 at age 36. The melanoma started on a large toe and spread to his brain. Dr. Yvedt Matory (r.), a Boston cancer surgeon, died of melanoma in 2005 at age 48. The melanoma originated on her scalp and was hidden by her hair until it was too late.

Uncontrollable & Controllable Risk Factors

Your lifetime risk of developing melanoma is higher if you have any of these specific risk factors:

UNCONTROLLABLE RISK FACTORS
Risk Factor Risk Multiplier (or Risk %)
	50 or more normal moles	2–4x
	One atypical mole*	2x
	Red or blond hair, blue or green eyes, and/or a light complexion	2–3x
	Heavily freckled with no atypical moles	3x
	Personal history of non-melanoma skin cancer	3–5x
	Undergoing immunosuppresant treatment or medication	4–8x
	10 or more atypical moles*	12–14x
	Heavily freckled with many atypical moles but no family history of melanoma*	20x
	Personal history of melanoma	9–28x
	Two immediate family members (parent, child, sibling) have had melanoma	100%
	Many atypical moles and one immediate family member has had melanoma**	100%
	Having certain skin diseases such as lupus or xeroderma pigmentosum	Very High
	Taking a photosensitizing medication or treatment	Unknown

CONTROLLABLE RISK FACTORS
Risk Factor Risk Multiplier (or Risk %)
	Intermittent exposure of normally covered skin to strong sunlight+	High
	One blistering sunburn under age 20	2x
	Three or more blistering sunburns under age 20	5x
	One tanning bed session under age 35	1.22x
	10 or more tanning bed sessions in a year under age 30	7.7x

*Risk from Atypical Moles

Although visual characteristics are usually a good indicator that a mole is atypical, the only way to find out for certain is through biopsy. Some moles that look atypical turn out to be normal upon biopsy; conversely, some moles that look normal are found to be atypical.

The risk of a single atypical mole becoming cancerous is about one in 100, compared with one in less than 3,000 for an ordinary mole. Having atypical moles removed will not entirely reduce the risk of melanoma, because people with atypical moles often develop it in clear skin rather than in moles. Think of atypical moles as "markers" that indicate a higher than average risk for melanoma even if they are all removed.

**Risk from Familial Atypical Mole Syndrome

If you have numerous large and/or irregular moles and have a parent, brother, or sister who has had melanoma, your lifetime risk of developing melanoma is 100 percent.

The back of a man with atypical mole syndrome.

Unlike other common skin cancers, the pattern of sun exposure is important in determining melanoma risk. Intermittent exposure may be more dangerous than chronic exposure, even if the total exposure is less. Examples of intermittent exposure include:

• Summer exposure of skin covered in winter months (believed to be the reason why melanoma incidence is as high in northern states as in the Sunbelt, where exposure is more constant during the year).

Does Gender Matter?

In the U.S., the incidence of melanoma is about equal in males and females, but males have a 70 percent higher death rate from melanoma, probably because they tend to check their skin less frequently.

Is Geographic Location Important?

The risk of melanoma is similar in all states in the U.S. when adjusted for age and population differences. You are as likely to develop melanoma in Massachusetts as in Florida, and almost as likely to develop it in New York as in Texas or California. Within a state, incidence tends to be higher in coastal areas and at high altitudes. Australia and New Zealand have the highest incidence of melanoma in the world, with New Zealand's rate nearly five times the U.S. rate. Switzerland and Norway both have higher melanoma incidence rates than the U.S.

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