Skin Cancer: The Most Common Type of Cancer

Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers in the U.S. This type of cancer usually begins in the form a tumor which most of the time these tumors are benign and do not spread. Three major types of skin cancer, from benign to malignant are, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. People who have lighter skin are prone to easily acquire skin cancer as opposed to someone with darker skin. Even though the risk is higher it does not necessarily mean that they will get skin cancer. UV rays are the most common risk factors for skin cancer.Skin Cancer: The Most Common Type of Cancer

Making sure one wears sunblock whenever they will spend time out in the sun is an easy and one of the best ways to protect your skin from these cancers. Some people like to go tanning which can be dangerous because when the rays reach deep layers of the epidermis it will create more melanin appearing as if it were a tan but can sometimes be deceiving and in reality, be cancer. Diagnosing cancer can sometimes be hard but there are certain ways to be able to detect at home if there is a slight possibility one might have cancer. Early detection key is called the ABCD rule. A stands for asymmetry; the pigmentated areas do not match. B stands for border; there are indentations. C stands for color; contains several colors not only one. D stands for diameter; larger than 6mm. If one has a mole who has all ABC and D, it might mean that it is cancerous, and one should contact their physician.

Common Types of Skin Cancer

Basal Cell Carcinoma Squamous Cell Carcinoma Melanoma

BCCs are tumors that look like lesions on the skin which arise in the deepest layer of the epidermis. BCC almost never spreads and usually just stay as benign tumors, but they should be taken seriously because it is possible that sometimes BCC can spread throughout the body and become life threatening. Squamous Cell Carcinoma tends to look like small burns on the skin. It’s made of uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells from the epidermis squamous layer. SCCs tend to look like open sores and can be anywhere on the body including lips, scalp and neck.