3 Types Of Skin Cancer You Need To Be Familiar With

By Author: Fletcher Rich
Total Articles: 8
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Skin cancer is very scary. And the idea that anyone can get skin cancer is even scarier, despite the fact that you probably do all you can with sun care products to protect your body. The simple truth is that you are at risk every time you step out into the sun. You can even develop skin cancer on parts of your body that are not routinely exposed to the sun.

Learning more about the condition is essential to helping you understand what your doctor may be saying. There are essentially three common types of skin cancer.

Basal Cell Carcinoma

If you have fairer skin, this is, by far, the most common skin cancer type. It starts within the basal cell layer of your skin, and you will most often find it starting in spots that are exposed to the sun on a regular basis. Your face, your neck, and other areas that see more sunlight. It grows fairly slowly, and it almost never spreads to other parts of the body. If you begin to notice this type of cancer, you’ll see a raised, pink, waxy bump, or a serious of them.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma

If you tend to have darker skin, this type of cancer is your bigger ...
... enemy. It starts in the squamous cells, and it is most often found on spots that are not actually in the sun. Usually it is noticed on the legs or feet first. This type seems far more aggressive than any other type, and you’ll usually see this as a red lesion that just will not heal.

Melanoma

This type of skin cancer actually gets started in the cells that product pigment for your skin, called melanocytes. There are melanocytes in various places in your body, but most of them are in your skin. The important thing to remember about this type of skin cancer is that it can hit on any surface of your skin. In men, you’ll typically find it on the head, the neck, the shoulders, or the hips. With women you find it on the lower legs, between the shoulders, and on the hips.

Famed singer Bob Marley died melanoma. If you do have darker skin, you are more likely to find melanoma under your fingernails, under your toenails, on your palms, or on the soles of your feet.

It is important to note that there are other types of skin cancer, but these are the big three that prove statistically significant to the population as a whole. Now that you know a bit more about the risks to your skin, be sure you add sunscreen to the equation every time you leave your home. Pay attention to your body and make annual (if not more) trips to your dermatologist.

Article Source : ForTheLifeofYourSkin.com