If you are older you may never have heard about the need for sun screen until recently. This is because in the last decade or so, the link between skin cancer and sun exposure has become more and more evident. If you are someone who spent years without wearing sunscreen, knowing how to recognize the signs of skin cancer can be the best way to keep healthy and get treatment when and if it becomes necessary.
Malignant melanomas are one of the most common forms of skin cancer. You may recognize melanoma as having to do with melanin, that part of skin which gives it color. Therefore, learning that this cancer can often start off as a mole may be less surprising. With malignant melanoma, experts urge you to check moles to make sure they have not changed into dangerous skin cancers. Early detection is critical because these cancers tend to spread quickly and can metastasize or spread to other bodily systems with alarming speed.
If you want an easy way to detect melanomas, you should remember the "ABC's" of skin cancer detection. You want to check the Appearance of a mole. You want to look at its Borders. And, lastly, the Color of that mole can be a key to whether or not it is malignant. A benign mole will not look different in a short period of time. It will have regular, even borders and be a normal brown color. Anything that is raised, fast growing, uneven or oddly colored should be assessed by a doctor as soon as possible. This makes your chances of survival much more likely.
Do you know someone who has been diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma. It is interesting that while basal cell cancers are the most common, most people do not know what they look like or how common they are. They can look like a number of things including a wart, a raised sore with a sunken, weeping middle or an open wound that will scab over but will not heal permanently. The good news is that through the use of surgery and other treatments it is possible to recover quite well from basal cell carcinoma since they do not tend to spread. The bad news is that they can be quite disfiguring and often form on the face or other visible areas of the body.
Squamous cell carcinoma is another very common form of skin cancer. Like basal cell carcinoma these also start off as raised lumps, bumps or wart-like areas. They may also crust or scale over but may also open up and bleed or ooze on a regular basis. It can start out as a rough, red painful rash that may eventually form into a lump or bump and begin to grow from there.
If there are any areas that you are worried about or that look at all unusual, you need to see your doctor to have them looked at. The doctor will take a biopsy or sample of the cells in the area you are worried about. Depending on what they find, you will then begin an appropriate course of treatment depending on what stage the cancer is at, whether it has spread and what kind of skin cancer you have.
The effectiveness of skin cancer treatment is much better when you begin treatment shortly after a skin cancer has started to grow. Unfortunately many people do not regularly perform self examinations at home and do not get any areas they are concerned about checked out. Because early treatment can be the key to getting rid of the tumor completely, it is critical that you get in to see your doctor so that they can check you over as well.
Malignant melanomas are one of the most common forms of skin cancer. You may recognize melanoma as having to do with melanin, that part of skin which gives it color. Therefore, learning that this cancer can often start off as a mole may be less surprising. With malignant melanoma, experts urge you to check moles to make sure they have not changed into dangerous skin cancers. Early detection is critical because these cancers tend to spread quickly and can metastasize or spread to other bodily systems with alarming speed.
If you want an easy way to detect melanomas, you should remember the "ABC's" of skin cancer detection. You want to check the Appearance of a mole. You want to look at its Borders. And, lastly, the Color of that mole can be a key to whether or not it is malignant. A benign mole will not look different in a short period of time. It will have regular, even borders and be a normal brown color. Anything that is raised, fast growing, uneven or oddly colored should be assessed by a doctor as soon as possible. This makes your chances of survival much more likely.
Do you know someone who has been diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma. It is interesting that while basal cell cancers are the most common, most people do not know what they look like or how common they are. They can look like a number of things including a wart, a raised sore with a sunken, weeping middle or an open wound that will scab over but will not heal permanently. The good news is that through the use of surgery and other treatments it is possible to recover quite well from basal cell carcinoma since they do not tend to spread. The bad news is that they can be quite disfiguring and often form on the face or other visible areas of the body.
Squamous cell carcinoma is another very common form of skin cancer. Like basal cell carcinoma these also start off as raised lumps, bumps or wart-like areas. They may also crust or scale over but may also open up and bleed or ooze on a regular basis. It can start out as a rough, red painful rash that may eventually form into a lump or bump and begin to grow from there.
If there are any areas that you are worried about or that look at all unusual, you need to see your doctor to have them looked at. The doctor will take a biopsy or sample of the cells in the area you are worried about. Depending on what they find, you will then begin an appropriate course of treatment depending on what stage the cancer is at, whether it has spread and what kind of skin cancer you have.
The effectiveness of skin cancer treatment is much better when you begin treatment shortly after a skin cancer has started to grow. Unfortunately many people do not regularly perform self examinations at home and do not get any areas they are concerned about checked out. Because early treatment can be the key to getting rid of the tumor completely, it is critical that you get in to see your doctor so that they can check you over as well.
About the Author:
Even just a Mole can be a Early Signs of Skin Cancer If you have doubt any of these five signs of skin cancer please consult your physician immediately.
