Skin cancer appearance generally increases with age because some types of skin cancer, specifically basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), are more directly linked to a history of sun exposure and sunburns. Melanoma (or malignant melanoma- MM) tends to be about 50% based on family history and genetics, and 50% based on sunburn history. That said, there are real skin cancers that rarely occur in small children, so any unusual mole or growth on a child should be checked by a board-certified dermatologist just to be sure.