Teens and people in their 20s are starting to get a very common form of skin cancer usually found in people over 50, the Canadian Dermatology Association said on Friday.

The rate of acquiring basal cell skin cancer is rising by five per cent a year in North America and 60,000 Canadians will be diagnosed with it this year.

Basal cell skin cancer. (Canadian Dermatology Association)
Basal cell skin cancer. (Canadian Dermatology Association)

About one in three children born in 1994 risks developing basal cell cancer, the association said.

Ultraviolet radiation from the sun triggers the affliction, which accounts for 80 per cent of all skin cancers.

"Frequent severe sunburns and intense sun exposure in childhood increase the risk of basal cell skin cancer," said Dr. Cheryl Rosen, national director of the association's sun awareness program.

"The main cause [of rising cancer rates] is lifestyle changes – people are out in the sun at an earlier age," Rosen said.

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Although it is the least dangerous form of skin cancer, basal skin cell cancer can cause disfigurement if untreated and allowed to spread.

Signs to look for include a sore or pimple-like growth that bleeds, crusts over and then reappears, a sore that doesn't heal within two months, or a small, red, scaling patch seen most often on the torso.

The tumour may be a firm, flesh-coloured or slightly reddish bump, often with a pearly border, sometimes with small blood vessels on the surface giving it a red color.

More men get this type of cancer than women and studies have shown that fair skinned people with blond or red hair are most at risk.

People outside between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun's rays are strongest should minimize their exposure by applying sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher and wearing a wide-brimmed hat, Sylvia Leonard of the Canadian Cancer Society said.

Surgery is the most common remedy, and tumours can be removed without damaging normal skin, even around the nose and eyes. Other methods include removing the tumour by scraping and heating it – called electrodessication – or freezing it.

The association's announcement marks the start on Monday of its 17th annual National Sun Awareness Week.