Melanoma occurs more often in people with fair skin that burns or freckles easily.
These people also usually have red or blond hair and blue eyes. People who have had one or more severe, blistering sunburns as a child or teenager are at increased risk for melanoma also. Because of this, doctors advise parents to protect their children's skin from the sun. Sunburns in adulthood are also a risk factor for melanoma. Melanoma also sometimes runs in families, so people with two or more close relatives who have had melanoma also have an increased risk.