7 Skin Cancer Risk Factors

You don't need a red, peeling sunburn to know that too much UV exposure isn't good for your skin. By now, we’re all familiar with the fact that too much sun on too many occasions could set us up for cancerous consequences down the line—and many of us are diligently slathering on the SPF to combat that risk.

“Each blistering sunburn is important,” explains Susan Y. Chon, MD, associate professor in the department of dermatology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Intense sun exposure that results in a blistering burn increases a person’s risk of malanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, she says.

But sun exposure isn’t the only skin cancer risk factor. Here are some other traits and habits linked to the disease you should know about.

Light skin, hair, and eyes

The lighter your skin color, the less natural protection you have against UV rays, Dr. Chon says. People with blue or green eyes or blonde or red hair also have a higher risk of skin cancer than people with darker eyes and hair. Sorry, redheads: You have the highest risk of melanoma, according to the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention.

If you have darker skin, you’re more likely than your lighter-skinned friends to encounter skin cancer on paler areas of your bodies, like the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet, Dr. Chon says.

A family history of skin cancer

If you come from a long line of light-skinned redheads or devoted tanners, there may be incidences of skin cancer among your relatives that can serve as a warning sign to you. But there are also some genetic risks for melanoma, including mutations linked to pancreatic cancer and breast cancer, says Dr. Chon. “They’re not common enough that we would screen someone,” she explains, but if you know these genes run in your family, you might be more proactive about sun protection.

Certain genetic conditions that run in families—like xeroderma pigmentosum---also increase your risk of skin cancer.

A history of indoor tanning

Tanning beds and lamps obviously aren’t exposing you to natural sunlight—but they are still exposing you to ultraviolet light, the damaging rays that tan and burn your skin. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, indoor tanning could very well be responsible for some 400,000 skin cancer cases each year in the U.S.

Your age

Skin cancer can occur at any age, but your risk increases as you get older, since you’ve had more time to accumulate UV exposure. There can be quite a lag between your blistering childhood sunburns and a skin cancer diagnosis: People usually find non-melanoma skin cancers in their late 50s, Dr. Chon says. "It takes time for [skin cancer] to become a problem,” she says. "Whatever you can do to decrease how much sun exposure you’re getting delays the onset of skin cancers."

Your sex

Men are more likely to have all three of the major categories of skin cancer. Compared to women, they’re twice as likely to have basal cell skin cancer, about three times as likely to have squamous cell skin cancer, and more likely to have melanoma too, according to the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention.

The number of moles you have

Moles—those slightly funnier-looking, freckle-like skin spots—are usually not cancerous, but if you’re covered with the marks, you might have a higher risk of skin cancer. Here’s a helpful trick: Count up the number of moles you can spot on your right arm. If you see 11 or more, you probably have more than 100 across your whole body—a risk factor for melanoma, according to a 2015 study.

Too many to count? You’re probably a good candidate for regular skin exams with a dermatologist. "Patients who have a lot of moles are usually under more surveillance," Dr. Chon says. That can include routine skin screenings and taking photos of moles to keep an eye on how they change over time.

A weakened immune system

When your body’s defenses are down, you’re more likely to develop skin cancer. Your immune system might be suppressed by certain diseases or medical treatments, according to the American Cancer Society, like after an organ transplant, when patients usually take meds that prevent their bodies from rejecting the new organ.

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Rare Skin Conditions

The biggest organ of the body, skin can also be plagued with diseases and problems unheard of apart from common skin conditions.
Here are some of the rare skin conditions that you must know:
1. Argyria - This skin condition is characterized by blue or gray skin and develops due to ingestion or exposure to a large quantity of silver for a long period of time. This is a permanent skin problem without any known cure as of now. Causes for it can range from working in a sliver mine, developing photographs to consumption of silver supplements for curing a range of health problems such as diabetes, arthritis and so on. Apart from the toxicity caused by the exposure or ingestion of the element, a very common side effect of silver is a change in the color of your skin.
2. Dermatographia - A rare skin condition, a person suffering from this tends to have skin that is exceedingly sensitive to light scratches and minor injuries. This happens due to the hypersensitivity of the body's immune system, which reveals itself in the skin. As a consequence it brings about the release of huge quantity of histamine, leading to the dilation of capillaries and formation of swellings when the surface of the skin gets scratched. 
3. Harlequin Ichthyosis - Affecting newborns the most, the skin condition sees babies being born with hard and thick plates of skin all over their body. The condition renders newborns with the inability to control fluid and water loss, causing instances of severe dehydration. Newborns with this condition also experience trouble breathing, moving, controlling their body temperature as well as warding off infections. Many experts consider it to be a genetic disorder brought on by the mutation of the abca12 gene, leading to the improper development of the epidermis (outer layers of skin cells).
4. Xeroderma Pigmentosum - Over here, the individual is said to be sensitive to UV light, which makes him or her avoid sunlight whether direct or indirect and even florescent illumination. In addition to blisters on the skin and sunburn symptoms of the condition also include dark and light skin patches. It can also cause your skin to become thin, resulting in the appearance of blood vessels and spots. Development of skin cancer is the final outcome of this skin condition.
5. Stevens-Johnson Syndrome - This skin condition brings about the shedding and falling off of not only your skin but even the lining of your internal organs. The skin problem is closely associated with another form of skin disease called toxic epidermal necrolysis (ten). It is usually identified through blisters and painful rashes that develop on the skin surface. 

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