The most well-known and largest risk factor for developing melanoma is exposure to sunlight – this can be both from the sun and from the sunbed. The two types of UV radiation that are linked to the increased risk of melanoma are UVA – long wave rays – and UVB – short wave rays, which is mostly emitted from the sun rather than sunbeds. According to Martin Weinstock, a dermatologist from Brown University, ‘Melanoma is not one disease, it’s a collection of diseases’. And each type of disease that causes melanoma has a different risk factor. Other risk factors include skin colour, eye colour, hair colour, genetic
