Skin cancer is a disease of the skin that causes it to lose its ability to grow naturally. There are over 1.3 million Americans who are diagnosed with skin cancer each year.
Instructions
1. Healthy skin cells are able to divide in an orderly fashion into order to replace the dead cells and grow new skin for the body. When the cells are not healthy, they will grow out of control and form a tumor. A tumor can be considered benign or malignant, with a benign tumor being limited to a few cell layers and does not spread to other areas such as the organs. A malignant tumor spreads and destroys healthy cells throughout the body, and when it does, it is considered cancerous.
2. There are three types of cancers and melanoma is considered to be the more serious. The other two kinds of skin cancer are called basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. The basal cell carcinoma is a common type of skin cancer that is occurs on areas that has been heavily exposed by the sun such as the nose, and will normally appear as a small smooth bump that is raised. The squamous cell carcinoma occurs on the ears, back of the hands and lower lip.
3. Sun exposure increases the likelihood that a person will develop skin cancer. It has been noted that it is best to avoid direct exposure to sunlight as the UV (ultraviolet) radiation damages DNA genes in the skin cells. Always use sunscreen to protect you from the sun.
4. There are several things to watch for on your body to detect skin cancer early. Most importantly, watch for any new growth on the skin. A mole will not always equal cancer, if it is a mole that has been there from birth. However, any new large
5. Look for a change in an existing growth. If the edges become ragged, the size increases noticeably or the color of the growth changes, seek a doctor's advice immediately. Also be aware of any sores on the skin that do not heal.
6. Schedule an examination with your doctor and ask him to look for growths on your skin to see if there are any problematic or noticeable signs of skin cancer. If the doctor finds anything unusual, he may recommend that you get a biopsy.
7. Obtain a biopsy to find out if a growth is cancerous. The doctor will remove either cells or tissues to be examined further by usually a dermatopathologist. It will either be done by an excisional biopsy by cutting away the growth, or an incisional biopsy which removes a small sample of the growth.
Tags: cell carcinoma, skin cancer, basal cell, basal cell carcinoma, skin cells, skin that
