[medymed]

One explanation is a time delay.

Most typical skin cancers (BCCs and SCCs), like other features of sun damaged skin, tend to arise decades after high levels of chronic or accumulated intermittent sun exposure at a younger age. (However that be less true for melanoma.)

[SOLAR_FIELDS]

I had two BCC’s at a very young age (26/27). They were almost certainly caused by frequent (1-2x a week) usage of tanning beds for several years in my early 20’s. I stopped using the beds around 24 and besides the two BCC’s at 26 and 27 have not had any issues for a decade.

And I know the word “cancer” sounds bad, but it’s very relative. BCC/SCC are very very unlikely to kill you, think of them as an extremely slow growing pimple. They could possibly kill you if you let them grow unchecked for several decades. Melanoma, on the other hand, is a entirely different beast that will kill you quickly if you don’t catch it early.

[hgomersall]

BCCs are correlated with longer life expectancy.

[andrekandre]

just a note im case no someome hasnt seen those abbreviations before:

bcc → basal cell carcinoma

scc → squamous cell carcinoma