(HealthDayNews) -- Some people are at greater risk than others for contracting melanomas, the most serious of skin cancers.
About half of melanomas occur in just 1 percent to 5 percent of the population, the Duke University Medical Center says.
People at highest risk are those who:
- have a family history -- meaning having two or more close relatives who have been diagnosed with melanomas;
- have displastic (atypical) moles;
- or have numerous moles -- more than 50 or so.
If you have one or more of these risk factors, regular checkups could help save your life, the medical center says.
