The short answer
Melanoma risk is linked to UV exposure from sunlight or tanning beds, fair skin, many moles, and family history. People of all skin colors can get melanoma. Having risk factors does not mean melanoma is certain.
Ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun or tanning beds is the main known cause of melanoma.
Fair skin, light eyes, and red or blonde hair raise risk, but people of all skin colors can get melanoma.
Having many moles or a family history of melanoma raises risk.
Blistering sunburns, especially in childhood, are linked to higher risk later in life.
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The simple version
This page is for anyone who wants to understand what raises the risk of melanoma, including people who have had it and their families.
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer. The clearest known cause is ultraviolet (UV) light, which comes from the sun and from tanning beds. Other factors, like skin type and mole patterns, also affect risk.
Having risk factors does not mean melanoma will happen, and melanoma can occur in people with no known risk factors.
What raises the risk
- UV exposure. Long-term exposure to sunlight or artificial UV light from tanning beds is the main known cause.
- History of sunburns. A history of many blistering sunburns, especially as a child or teenager, is linked to higher risk later in life.
- Fair complexion. Fair skin that freckles or burns easily and does not tan well, light-colored eyes, and red or blonde hair are linked to higher risk.
- Many moles. Having a large number of moles raises risk.
- Atypical moles. A family history of unusual-looking moles, sometimes called atypical nevus syndrome, raises risk.
- Personal or family history. A past melanoma, or melanoma in a close relative, raises risk of a new one.
- Race. NCI lists being White as a risk factor, but melanoma can occur in people of any skin color.
Melanoma is not only a "fair skin" disease
People of all skin colors can get melanoma. In people with dark skin, the most common form is acral lentiginous melanoma. It occurs on the palms, the soles, and on fingers, toes, and nail beds. These are areas that get little sun. Anyone who notices a new or changing spot on their skin, anywhere on the body, should have it checked.
Having risk factors is not your fault
If you spent time in the sun, used a tanning bed years ago, or simply have fair skin and many moles, none of that is a moral failing. Many people did these things without knowing the risks. And some people develop melanoma with none of these factors present. What matters now is getting the right care.
Why this matters for you
Ask your care team how your risk factors affect how often your skin should be checked, and whether family members should be checked too.
When to get help sooner
- Call your care team the same day if a mole or spot is bleeding and will not stop, or has become red, hot, and painful.
- Call your care team within a day or two if you notice a new spot, a sore that does not heal, or a mole that is changing in size, shape, or color. Also call about any new or changing dark streak on a palm, a sole, or under a nail.
- Do not wait weeks to have a changing spot looked at, and do not try to remove or treat it yourself. Ask your care team to look at any spot that changes.
Sources
Common questions
Can people with dark skin get melanoma?
Yes. People of all skin colors can get melanoma. NCI says the most common form in people with dark skin occurs on the palms, soles, fingers, toes, and nail beds, so a changing spot in these areas deserves attention.
Do tanning beds really raise melanoma risk?
Yes. Exposure to artificial UV light from tanning beds, like sun exposure, raises the risk of melanoma.
Does one bad sunburn cause melanoma?
NCI lists a history of many blistering sunburns, especially as a child or teenager, as a risk factor. Ask your care team how your own history affects your risk.
I always used sunscreen. Why did I still get melanoma?
NCI lists several risk factors besides sun exposure, such as skin type, many moles, and family history. Melanoma can also occur in people with no known risk factors.
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Last updated: 2026-10-02Next planned review: 2027-08-03
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Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes, and this is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and then compared with the sources listed on it, looking for statements those sources do not back up. That check is not a sentence-by-sentence record and can miss errors. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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