The first thing to know when you’re looking for common signs of skin cancer is that these conditions, such as basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma, can begin as very basic changes to your skin. These changes might appear as lesions or strange growths that you had never noticed before. Importantly, research suggests that approximately forty to fifty percent of people with fair skin who live to be 65 will develop at least one kind of skin cancer.