Incidence rates for skin cancer can be hard to determine. The World Cancer Research Fund International notes that’s due in large part to the various subtypes of the disease, which can present challenges when collating data. Those challenges have led the WCRFI to conclude that global skin cancer incidence rates, though significant, have likely been underestimated.

Even if skin cancer incidence rates don’t paint an accurate picture, researchers and medical professionals recognize that skin cancer is a formidable threat. Recognition of the risk factors of this often preventable disease can be an integral component of anyone’s preventive health care regimen. Though anyone can get skin cancer, the MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes the presence of these characteristics can elevate individuals’ risk for the disease.

• A lighter natural skin color: A lighter natural skin color indicates a person has less melanin, which increases the risk for sunburn. That, in turn, increases skin cancer risk.

• Skin with many freckles or moles: The MDACC urges individuals with many freckles or moles to keep an eye on them. Freckles and moles are typically tan or brown and round or oval-shaped. But any that are getting larger, painful, bleeding, itchy, or scabbing could be cancerous. The presence of these symptoms should be brought to the attention of a dermatologist immediately.

• History of blistering sunburn: The MDACC notes that all it takes to increase an individual’s risk for melanoma, which is the most serious form of skin cancer, is one or two blistering sunburns as a child.

• Blue or green eyes: The MDACC notes that, much like people with lighter skin, individuals with blue or green eyes have less melanin than people with eyes that are darker in color.

• Blond or red hair: Individuals with blond or red hair also naturally have less melanin.

• A family history of skin cancer: The MDACC urges individuals with a family history of skin cancer to share that background with a dermatologist, who can conduct a full-body screening to help individuals know if their own risk for the disease is elevated.

• A personal history of skin cancer: Anyone who has had skin cancer in the past is more likely to get it again.

• Age: The American Society of Clinical Oncology reports that certain types of skin cancer, including most basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, appear after age 50. However, younger individuals, particularly those who spend long hours sun bathing, and individuals of any age who use tanning beds, should know that their risk for skin cancer is elevated regardless of their age.

Skin cancer affects millions of people across the globe. That figure could be lowered by greater recognition of various risk factors for the disease and preventive measures that can save lives.