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Common Melanoma Causes and Risk Factors

Genetics – due to the genetic inherited material people at higher risk of developing melanoma are those to whom one or more of the following situations apply:

  • melanoma in the family - have others in the family that developed skin cancer;
  • fair skin – people with fair skin are usually more prone to develop melanoma;
  • previous melanoma condition;
  • previous non-melanoma skin cancers (such as basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma)
  • large number of moles – the higher the number of moles, the higher the possibility that one of them will evolve into a malignant melanoma

Prolonged sun exposure – including activities such as: tanning, outdoor working and outdoor recreational activities and sports without protective clothes and sunscreen may cause many types of skin cancers including melanoma (except nodular melanoma which seems to be little influenced by sun exposure). Prolonged sunlight exposure is usually achieved through intermittent exposure episodes over months and years. Acute sun exposure (many consecutive hours and days) usually results in severe burnings triggering protective measures right away. Thus, although acute sun exposure is bad and may cause melanoma and other types of skin cancers, intermittent exposure is even worse because the effect is cumulative and the lack of an immediate acute effect on the body may prevent preventive actions in exposed individuals. In other words, you can be at risk for developing melanoma later in life due to prolonged sun exposure (such as tanning on the beach) during younger years! One should always keep this in mind and protect himself/herself from prolonged sun exposure (which includes exposure to UV lamps in tanning salons, too). Please note that some studies pointed out that in small amounts exposure to sun may actually be benefic.

Pollution exposure - many types of skin cancers (not necessarily melanoma) have been linked to environmental pollution. While there is still a lot to discover, it has been proven that environmental pollutants may contribute to developing skin in several ways (please note that the direct link of pollution exposure to melanoma has not been definitively established – yet the possibility exists as for other types of skin cancers):

  • Indirectly: pollution contribute to melanoma development in sensitive exposed people by:
    • affecting the ozone protective layer to UV radiations (e.g., ozone depleting chemicals which are currently banned such as chlorofluorocarbons or 1.1.1-trichloroethane), as well as
    • contributing to global warming (which in turns may affect the natural cycles of various environmental pollutants especially of those with high volatility which may be more easily absorbed or introduced into body as gases); examples of pollutants contributing to global warming are gases such as carbon dioxide and methane (which is usually formed in landfills due to buried organic waste).
  • Directly: pollutants (e.g., PAHs and some metals) contribute to skin cancer development (possibly including melanoma types, too) by inducing changes in the cellular DNA which may result in cancerous cells with abnormal growth. Pollutants usually act in conjunction with sun exposure or another deterministic factor, but development of cancers due to pollution exposure only is also possible and may explain skin cancer cases of people with little sun exposure history. Skin pollution exposure usually occurs through direct skin contact and absorption through the skin (generally from contact with polluted water and/or air).

Please see more on: Developing Melanoma Due to Pollution Exposure