How do you get skin cancer?

i know being in the sun ALOT will make you have a higher risk for skin cancer but i like to spend time in the sun. how will you be able to tell if you have it though?

Your right the longer you spend time in the sun,you might have a higher risk? But it can start out in different way's. Look for a small sore that might be RED in color or it could look grayblack in color is the start maybe of skin cancer. The sole get's bigger the greater the chance of this being cancer. I would go to see a doctor or a free medicial lab and find out-because if you have skin cancer it move's fast.My father died from skin cancer called mellanoma it moved fast. But there are different kind of skin cancer. Check the internet go to www.american cancer socity.com for more info. Source(s): doctors,american cancer walk,libary,medical books

you get skin cancer by going out in the sun for extended periods of time without protection like sunblock. the sun's rays are good for you but can be deadly. always wear sun tan lotion
exposing your skin to the sun without protection!

its like sex, use a condom.. but in this case its sunblock
I unfortunately met a little girl that had skin cancer and she couldn't be in the sun because she started peeling and her hair was falling off alot.
Skin cancer is a malignant growth on the skin, which can have many causes, including repeated severe sunburns or long-term exposure to the sun. Skin cancer generally develops in the epidermis, the outermost layer of skin, so a tumor is usually clearly visible. This makes most skin cancers detectable in the early stages. There are three common types of skin cancer each of which is named after the type of skin cell.

Types
The most common types are basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) which may be locally disfiguring but unlikely to spread to other parts of the body. The most dangerous type is malignant melanoma, which can be fatal if not treated early, but forms only a small proportion of all skin cancers.

Prevalence
Skin cancer is an increasingly common condition, in part attributed to increased exposure to ultraviolet radiation. The increased exposure is mainly due to the recent popularity of sun tanning (sun bathing). Lighter-skinned individuals are more vulnerable. In the United States, about one out of every three new cancers arises from skin. Skin cancers are often curable. Barriers which reduce UV exposure are effective in preventing skin cancers (clothes, hats, creams, lotions).

Prognosis
Minor surface skin cancers are readily treatable by simple surgery, but if the cancer is allowed to grow then it will penetrate through the layers of skin and affect the lymphatic system. It may also metastasize and spread to other parts of the body.

Skin cancers which are aggressive, recurrent, or located upon 'high risk sites' of the body (central face, scalp, ears, genitalia) may require more advanced surgical approaches such as Mohs' micrographic surgery to achieve high cure rates.

Signs and symptoms
There are a variety of different skin cancer symptoms. These include sores or changes in the skin that do not heal, ulcers in the skin, discoloring in parts of the skin, and changes in existing moles.

Basal cell carcinoma usually looks like a raised, smooth, pearly bump on the sun-exposed skin of the head, neck or shoulders. Sometimes small blood vessels can be seen within the tumor. Crusting and bleeding in the center of the tumour frequently develops. It is often mistaken for a sore that does not heal.
Squamous cell carcinoma is commonly a red, scaling, thickened patch on sun-exposed skin. Ulceration and bleeding may occur. When SCC is not treated, it may develop into a large mass.
Most malignant melanomas are brown to black looking lesions. Signs that might indicate a malignant melanoma include change in size, shape, color or elevation of a mole. The appearance of a new mole during adulthood, or new pain, itching, ulceration or bleeding of an existing mole should be checked.
also, what's your skin coloring, and do you have lots of freckles/ moles?
If you're not white/east asian, you prolly have nothing to worry about [lucky biatch!]

if you are white/asian, and you have lots of freckles/sun-induced wrinkles, then look out. get ur doc to check up on you every year or so.
My grandfather died from complications of skin cancer, and my mom just got a malignant thing removed from her leg last year.
Be careful & practice safe sun!