Skin cancer is the rare growth of skin cells and it most often develops on skin that is exposed to the sun, but it may also occur on skin that is rarely ever exposed to the sun. There are three major types of skin cancer. The …show more content…
The most common cause for skin cancer is sun exposure. The sun contains ultraviolet (uv) rays, an invisible kind of radiation that can penetrate and change skin cells which eventually leads to skin cancer. Ultraviolet radiation hampers the body’s ability to fight off cancer, depleting the energy that skin cells need to repair damaged DNA and profoundly suppressing the skin’s immune system. A single sunburn increases a person’s risk for skin cancer. The more sunburns an individual experiences the higher the chance of developing skin cancer. Factors that increase the risk of skin cancer include having a light skin tone, a history of sunburns, excessive exposure to the sun or radiation, a family history of skin cancer, and moles. Other factors that can also lead to skin cancer are having colored eyes, naturally light colored hair, more specifically blonde or red hair, and skin that burns, freckles, or reddens easily when exposed to the