Skin cancer is a disease that receives more headlines and article column inches than ever before. Is this an indication that the disease is on the rise because people are more at risk to the causes of skin cancer. Or simply that the public information campaigns have made people more alert to spotting warning signs and getting them checked out by their doctors. The answer is probably a bit of both. So what causes skin cancer ? This article will answer this question and detail who is most at risk on getting the disease.

Probably, the most commonly cited skin cancer cause is being exposed to sunlight for extended periods of time. Do you remember when people used to boast about the great suntan they got during their vacation ?

Well this thinking has largely fallen away now (or at least it should be falling away). You will find in regions in the world where the sun is particularly strong the idea of sun baking yourself every day has been replaced with the need to wear a shirt, hat, eye protection and a 30+ sun protection factor sunscreen.

The fact is that, although everyone wants to spend a bit of time in the sun once in a while, too much sun on the skin will lead to skin cancer. How much sun is too much is largely down to the individuals skin type.

People that find their skin burning quickly in the sun are at greater risk of skin cancer. Burning could be the skin turning red or even peeling but ultimately the person will feel pain on the burned portions of the skin. And pain is the body telling you that something is wrong. People often ignore the pain because they are having a good time or their work requires them to work in sunny conditions.

A person that burns quicker generally has less melanin in the body. Melanin is a substance that produces color or pigmentation in the skin, eyes and hair. So people with less melanin will be characterized by fair hair - blond or red, light colored eyes - blue or green and pale skin. People with no melanin at all have a condition knowns as Albinism. An Albino will have no color in the hair, eyes and skin.

The way that melanin protects the skin is by darkening it whenever it comes in contact with sunlight. this is commonly known as a suntan and is the body's way of preventing sunburn and thus skin cancer. However, it is an extremely fine line between getting a suntan and going to far and getting sun damaged skin.

Using equipment that leads to exposure to UV radiation is another way to increase the risk of skin cancer. The sunbed is a prime example of this. Many sunbeds are used to get that healthy tan all year round but too much of the sunbed is bad news for your skin.

To end, you must protect yourself against Ultraviolet radiation. This is the leading cause of skin cancer and most people are exposed to it from the sun. Whenever you are in the sun, wear clothes to protect your body.Wear and hat and sunglasses for your head and eyes. And rub sunscreen into areas of the body that are directly exposed to sunlight.