Anyone with a history of sun exposure has the potential to develop a basal cell carcinoma. However, those at highest risk have fair skin, light hair, and blue or green eyes. Older people are more often affected, however the increasing number of cases within the past few decades have shown a decrease in the average onset of age. Occupations that require workers to spend long hours outdoors and people who spend their leisure time in the sun are particularly susceptible. 

Basal cell carcinomas are easily treated in their early stages, though the larger the tumor has grown, more extensive treatment is needed. Although this skin cancer seldom spreads to vital organs, it can damage surrounding tissue, causing considerable destruction and disfigurement. Some basal cell carcinomas are more aggressive than others. People who have had one basal cell carcinoma are at risk for developing others over the years, either in the same area or elsewhere on the body.

While Basal cell carcinomas and other skin cancers are almost always curable when detected and treated early, it is best to prevent them in the first place. Listed below are some sun safety habits that should be part of one's daily health care:

Most basal cell carcinomas occur on parts of the body that are excessively exposed to the sun - common locations being the face, ears, neck, scalp, shoulders and back; though they can occasionally develop on unexposed areas.

Other contributing factors include open sores that resist healing, contact with arsenic or exposure to radiation, chronic inflammatory skin conditions, and complications of burns, scars, infections.