What is thought to cause melanoma?
No one knows exactly what causes melanoma, but several risk factors have been identified. One is ultraviolet radiation in general, but especially from severe sunburn in childhood. Secondly, people with large or irregularly shaped moles are more likely to get melanoma. It appears that a tendency toward melanoma could be inherited. Melanoma lesions do not necessarily manifest themselves in areas that have EVER had direct sun exposure. In other words, it is imperative to check parts of the body that have not been directly exposed to the sun-on the head under a full head of hair, behind the ears, genital areas, between the toes, etc.
