Family history of skin cancer. Personal history of skin cancer. Chronic exposure to the sun. History of sunburns early in life. A large number of moles.
Skin cancer is largely preventable when sun protection measures are consistently used.
These results highlight the need for educating children and adults about the preventive measures that can be taken to reduce or avoid UV exposure. Research suggests that healthy behavior patterns established in early childhood often persist throughout life. The challenge, however, lies in changing the attitudes and behaviors that increase a person's risk of developing skin cancer. CDC's National Leadership CDC's skin cancer prevention and education efforts are designed to reduce illness and death and help achieve the Healthy People 2000 and Healthy People 2010 skin cancer prevention goals. Highlights of these activities follow.