Skin Cancer On Face

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States - one million cases are diagnosed each year and nearly 20% of people show signs of skin cancer at some point during their lives. Less than 1,000 people die from skin cancer in a normal year, but if you have symptoms of skin cancer or experienced all the warning signs of skin cancer, it is important to have it checked.

People of all shades of skin can develop skin cancer, including those with darker shades of skin, and it's important to know what some of the warning signs of skin cancer are. Skin cancer tends to develop about body parts that are more often exposed to the sun - face, neck, chest, back, arms and legs - although it can also develop on areas not usually exposed to sunlight .

There are several types of skin cancer, melanoma is the most serious and causes the most deaths. Anyone can get melanoma, but if there is a history in your family, you are more vulnerable. And if you spend much time outdoors, live in higher altitudes where UV rays are not filtered as effectively, or have had several bad sunburn, you also have a higher risk of developing melanoma.

Moles and freckles are two of the biggest warning signs of melanoma. A melanoma can not only form on the skin, but often develop from a mole or freckle. One of the biggest differences between normal moles and melanoma is the color - a normal mole or freckle is black or brown, with a well defined edge, melanoma is often multicolored, has different shades, or liquid can seep.

It is possible to examine your own body to try to keep track of freckles, moles or spots. Be especially careful of those who seem to grow in size, are of different colors or will not heal. If in doubt, always suspicious moles or freckles examined by a doctor - the sooner they are treated, the less chance of spreading the disease to other parts of the body.

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of the disease also. Warning signs include an injury-colored or brown on the back or chest, or waxy bump on the neck, face or ears. This type of skin cancer is not likely to spread to other parts of the body is also quite easy to treat. Squamous cell carcinoma is easily treated; warning symptoms that include a lesion with a crusty surface on the arms or face, or a red nodule on the face, neck or arms.

There are several less common forms of skin cancer. Merkel cell carcinoma is rare, although it can spread rapidly. The signs are firm, shiny nodules in hair follicles and just below the skin on the body areas exposed to sunlight. Also rare is the Kaposi's sarcoma, found mainly in people with weakened immune systems, warning signs are purple patches on the skin. sebaceous gland carcinoma is characterized by hard nodules on the body, especially on the eyelid.

skin cancer is completely curable if found and treated early. The hardest part may be deciding what the warning signs of skin cancer is and what is normal - when in doubt, have it checked by a doctor or skin specialist.