Anti Aging Skin Care » Skin Cancer

Skin Cancer

Skin is the largest organ of our body. The skin covers the internal organs of our body and also it protects from injury. The skin helps to regulate the body temperature. It also stores water, fat, and vitamin D. Certain cells of the skin are always communicate with the brain and allow for touch, temperature, and pain sensations. The skin cancer is a disease in which cancer cells are found in the outer layers of your skin.

Skin cancer causes are as follows:

• Sunburn and Sunlight: Sunburn and ultra violet light can damage your skin and it can lead to skin cancer. The total amount of sun received over the years, and overexposure resulting in sunburn can cause skin cancer. Skin cancer is very slow to develop.
• Heredity: If your any family member is suffering from skin cancer then you are at a higher risk.
• Environment: Now a days, the level of ultra violet light is higher than it was 50 or 100 years ago. This is may be due to the reduction of ozone in the earth's atmosphere. Ozone helps to filter the sunrays and reduce the amount of ultra violet light that we are exposed to. The thinner atmosphere at higher altitudes cannot filter ultra violet rays.
• Immunosuppression: Impairment of the immune system, which protects the body from foreign entities like germs.
• Exposure to high levels of x-rays.
• Use of tanning booths.
• Contact with certain chemicals.

Types of skin cancer are :

• Basal Cell Carcinoma: It is the most common type of skin cancer. This type of cancer grows slowly and rarely spreads. It usually appears as a pink or white pearly bump or as an irritated patch.

• Squamous Cell Carcinoma: This type of cancer is less common, but it is more dangerous because it grows more quickly and may spread. It may appear as a raised pink bump or scaly patch with an open sore in the center.

• Malignant Melanoma: Melanoma is much less common cancer than other two cancer types. Melanoma begins in the melanocytes, which produce dark protective pigments. Melanocytes are spread throughout the lower part of the epidermis.

The patients and doctors play important role in finding skin cancer. Skin cancer can be found in the early stages. Go through the following cancer symptoms, it may help you to know about the skin cancer.

• a change in itchiness, sensation, tenderness, or pain.
• any type of change on the skin like in the size or color of a mole or other darkly pigmented growth or spot, or a new growth
• oozing, scaliness, bleeding, or change in the appearance of a bump or nodule
• the spread of pigmentation beyond its border such as dark coloring that spreads past the edge of a mole or mark

You can prevent the skin cancer by using the following tips:

• Limit sun exposure. Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Cover your head with a wide-brimmed hat, shading your face, ears, and neck.
• Use sunscreen lotion with a sun protection factor. Apply a generous amount and reapply after swimming, toweling dry, or perspiring.
• Cover up with protective clothing to guard as much skin as possible when you are out in the sun.
• Wear sunglasses to provide optimal protection for the eyes and the surrounding skin.