3 Types of Skin Cancers - Characteristics And Treatment | Skin Care

By AdrianFletcher
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People that have skin that burns easily in the sun should be screened for skin cancer by a professional at least once a year. The screening will identify any abnormal changes in the skin and diagnose any problems. However, even if you are screened once a year you should also monitor the condition and changes in your skin from time to time. You can identify potential problems if you know a bit about the disease. This article will detail the three types of skin cancer including the signs and treatment for each type.

There are three types of skin cancer. The first two mentioned are considered to be benign most of the time so they are easy to treat. However it is still important to identify and treat them as soon as possible as they may spread and lead to a more serious problem.

Basal Cell Carcinoma

The most common form of the three types of skin cancer is known as basal cell carcinoma. Typical signs of basal cell carcinoma are a waxy bump that appears on the face or neck. Other signs are brown or flesh colored marks that may look like an old scar. They can appear anywhere on the body but are more common on the back or chest.

As most cases of basal cell carcinoma are benign and do not spread to other parts of the body treatment is relatively easy and effective. The bump or mark is simply cut out or frozen and removed. This can be done in 30 minutes at a doctor's surgery.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma

This is another common type of skin cancer and is generally treated in the same way as basal cell carcinoma. However, squamous cell carcinoma has a tendency to spread to other areas of the body, normally the surrounding tissue to the problem area.

A Squamous cell carcinoma is typically noticeable as a red bump or nodule. It can appear on the face, neck, or arms. On some occasions it will occur on the ears or lips. The nodule will be hard to the touch. As it develops it may become scaly or have flaky skin on the surface. It will continue to develop to become a crusty lesion where the nodule used to be. It is usually treated by cutting or freezing.

Melanoma

Melanoma is the least common type of skin cancer but it is also the most serious. Melanoma has the potential to spread to other parts of the body. It could move to the lymph nodes which accelerates the spreading of the disease to other areas of the body including vital organs. If it is not treated, melanoma can lead to death. This is why screening and self examination is important to treating skin cancer. You should be aware of any changes to your skin and mention them to the doctor when you are screened. They can make a professional diagnosis or take a biopsy.

It is important to be aware of the three types of skin cancer as you can be alerted to any potential skin problems with this knowledge. However it is far better to prevent skin cancer from occurring than ever having to go through a procedure to remove skin cancers. Prevention means limiting your exposure to ultraviolet rays either by avoiding them or wearing some form of protection against them.

About the Author

For more information on the symptoms and dangers of skin cancer visit http://symptomsofskincancer.net. The site covers skin cancer on the nose and popular sun creams.

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