Skin Cancer Care Guide

 

Signs of Skin Cancer

One of the most common diseases afflicting people around the world is because of skin cancer. In the US skin cancer strikes more than 1 million people every year. It is thus important to know what causes this deadly disease so that you can take preventive measures for you and your family. The most common causes of skin cancer are either due to family history of people who have relatives who were diagnosed with skin cancer before are of a higher risk to contract the ailment in the future. Dig up your family’s medical history to check if you have a history of skin cancer in your lineage. If you do, then it’s best to take a lot of precautionary measures, and the environment when skin cancer is caused mainly by overexposure to Ultraviolet (UV) light. You know that this light often comes from the sun, so a longer exposure under the sun can give you skin cancer. Energy that comes from the sun is actually a form of radiation, thereby damaging your DNA and enabling the abnormal and uncontrollable growth of cancer cells in the skin. Once these abnormal cells combine and form a tumor, you’ll have what doctors would call lesions, or protrusions in the skin, a common sign of skin cancer.

This is the reason why people whose livelihood and geographic location are under the intense heat of the sun are as likely to get this disease. People who live near the equator, in areas with less cloud formation, or live in high-altitude places are examples of cases where the risk factors of skin cancer are high. Other possible causes of skin cancer include:

1. Weak immune system. The impairment of your immune system renders the body vulnerable to foreign entities like germs or any substances that can cause abnormal reactions in the skin. Because of this, you are exposed to a lot of elements which your body is not prepared for, such as ultraviolet rays from the sun.

2. Artificial Tanning Booths. This is still a subject of debate around the world, but it is best to be informed so that you can take measures to prevent it. Tanning booths per se don’t actually cause skin cancer, but longer exposure to these services actually increases your risks of getting the disease. So, it is still better to be safe than sorry.

3. Chemicals. Skin cancer can also be contracted when you come into contact with some chemicals, such as arsenic and hydrocarbons found in oils, soot and tar. These chemicals are harmful to the skin and may cause abnormalities in skin cells, leading to cancer.Like any other form of cancer or breast cancer, treatment is very effective when the disease is detected early, so be sure that when you see any sign on your skin that may look like abnormal formations, call your doctor immediately. Still, despite all this, remember the age-old adage of skin cancer where prevention is better than cure; so if you can, stay away from the intense heat of the sun as possible.