It is no secret that a high intake of alcohol can be detrimental to health. A new study provides further evidence of this, after linking high alcohol consumption with increased risk of skin cancer.

Researchers found that every 10-gram increase in alcohol consumed each day was associated with a greater risk of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, which are the two main types of non-melanoma skin cancers.

Senior study author Dr. Eunyoung Cho – of Brown University in Providence, RI, and Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA – and colleagues say that their findings indicate that alcohol consumption could be an important public health target to reduce the burden of skin cancer worldwide.

The researchers recently reported their results in the British Journal of Dermatology.

According to the American Cancer Society, there are around 5.4 million basal and squamous cell skin cancers diagnosed in the United States every year.

Basal cell skin cancer, or basal cell carcinoma, is by far the most common form of skin cancer, accounting for around 8 in 10 cases. This cancer begins in basal cells situated in the lower part of the epidermis, or the top layer of skin.

Squamous cell skin cancer, or squamous cell carcinoma, accounts for around 2 in 10 skin cancers. This cancer begins in squamous cells in the outer layer of the epidermis.