Being in the sun often over time, even if you don't burn, can lead to skin cancer. A tan is the body's desperate attempt to protect itself from the sun's harmful rays. Tanning booths use ultraviolet rays. But both UVA and UVB rays cause skin damage. While UVA rays take longer than UVB rays to damage the skin, they go deeper into the skin than UVB rays.
Most skin cancers occur on parts of the body that are repeatedly exposed to the sun.
These areas include the head, neck, face, tips of the ears, hands, forearms, shoulders, back, chests of men, and the back and lower legs of women. A normal mole is solid tan, brown, dark brown or flesh colored. Its edges are well-defined. It should be flat or dome-like. The main thing to look for is any change in a mole that you have or the appearance of a new mole.