6 Factors That Increase Your Child's Risk of Skin Cancer

By Hallie Levine Sklar

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Will your child get skin cancer? Watch out for these risk factors, and get tips on keeping your child safe in the sun, from Parents magazine and the American Academy of Dermatology.

Pages in this story

• A Family History
• Fair Skin and Light Hair

• Many Moles
• Living in a Southern Latitude or at a High Altitude

• Past Sunburns
• Being an Athlete

A Family History

About 10 percent of melanoma cases run in the family. If your child has a first-degree relative -- you, your spouse, or a sibling -- who develops melanoma, he has a 50 percent greater chance of getting this cancer than someone without a family history. (If the cancer occurs in a grandparent or an aunt or an uncle, there's still a risk but it's not as great.)

• Many Moles

Source: http://www.parents.com/baby/safety/outdoor/skin-cancer-risks/?sssdmh=dm17.320900&esrc=nwpce51&email=201779094