Skin Cancer Awareness....

What is Skin Cancer?

Skin Cancer is the cancer of the cells that occur in the outermost layer of the skin called the epidermis. It is the most common form of cancer in the humans. The annual rate of every form of skin cancer is increasing which causes a concern among people. Skin Cancer varies from least dangerous to most dangerous.

Common Signs for skin cancer:

The most common sign for skin cancer is the change in the appearance of the skin like a new growth in different sizes and shapes or general soreness that doesn’t go away or heal. It can be a dark brownish spot, a mole which bleeds, any change in an existing mole, and any sore area that doesn’t heal in two weeks time.

If detected early, skin cancers can be treated very easily. It usually occurs in areas exposed to the sun’s UV rays but sometimes skin cancer may also develop in areas not exposed to UV rays. It is better to consult a physician if any suspicious changes in skin are found in your body. Also regular skin check-ups every year would be ideal.

Types of Skin Cancer:

The three most common types of skin cancer are

o Basal Cell

o Squamous Cell

o Melanoma

Basal Cell is the most common form of skin cancer. Initially it was thought that only middle aged people were affected by this type of cancer but it is also seen at younger ages. This mostly occurs on areas exposed to sun such as head and neck. This type of cancer grows slowly and rarely spreads to other areas. If it is not treated, it might damage the surrounding area and sometimes bone.

Squamous cell is more common in men than in women. It usually occurs on face, lips, ear, neck and backs of the hand. If treated immediately, there is no danger from this type of cancer.

Melanoma is found in both men and women and usually occurs around a mole. This can occurs anywhere in the body and considered to be most dangerous. It is easily treatable in early stages but if ignored can cause life threatening damage.

What causes Skin Cancer?

There are many causes for skin cancer. The main cause is the Sun’s UV rays on the exposed body part. The Skin tans when exposed to the sun but that is just a protective reaction to prevent further damage to skin but tanning does not altogether stop the skin cancer. The other causes for skin cancer is Heredity .People with a family history of skin cancer are generally at a higher risk in developing skin cancer; also fair skinned people are believed to be more susceptible to skin cancer.

A history of sunburns early in life is also puts you in higher risk of developing a skin cancer. Any skin that burns, freckles, reddens easily and is painful when exposed to sun is at higher risk. People who work indoors all through the week and expose themselves to intense sun during weekends, Taking any medicines that lower the immunity

How to prevent Skin Cancer?

The American academy of dermatology (AAD) had issued some preventive steps for skin cancer

Wearing protective clothing which may include a hat or umbrella’s to prevent the sun’s harmful rays coming in direct contact with your skin.

Applying sunscreen all over the body and avoiding midday sun.

Use a sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher even on cloudy days.

Reapply sunscreen every two hours.

Check your body for any abnormal growth or soreness every month. If possible, consult a skin care specialist and have a thorough check up every year.

It is important for parents to apply sunscreens on their children and to cover them up properly.

VITAMIN D:

Vitamin D is an important source of vitamin which helps prevent prostate, colon, breast and other cancers as well as some bon diseases. Sun is the strong source of Vitamin D. Exposing your body in sun for 5-15 minutes each day will increase the vitamin D level in your body. But exposing your skin to the sun also makes you more susceptible to skin cancer. Many argue that 5-15 minutes of sun exposure each day is not going to affect anyone but the vitamin D can also be increased by eating vitamin D enriched milk, orange juices, fatty fishes. Also daily multivitamin containing 600 units of vitamin D is a lot safer than lying in the sun and exposing yourself to skin cancer.

Many people are not aware of skin cancer or of its symptoms. If detected early, skin cancer is treatable. The United States government is working hard on spreading the awareness among people. The month of May is called as “Skin Cancer Awareness” month. Steps are being taken to increase the awareness of skin cancer. To know more on the topic of skin cancer, please do visit the link

http://www.dermanetwork.org/news/news_details.asp?ID=550

Press releases on skin cancer:

There are many press releases on skin cancer which everyone should go through to get a better understanding on the subject. The AAD and the National skin cancer websites have very useful information. But there were few links which I thought would be helpful and wanted to share here.

http://www.aad.org/forms/SunSafetyDatabase/default.aspx - This link is a sun safety program database which gives us useful information on sun safety program.

http://www.playsmartsun.org/ - This is a website which gives us information on importance of skin cancer prevention and detection.

http://www.aad.org/media/psa/index.html - This is a website on indoor tanning.

http://www.skincancer.org/road-to-healthy-skin-tour-2009-press-release.html

http://www.skincancer.org/melanoma-and-skin-of-color.html - More on melanoma.

http://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/skin-cancer-early-detection-and-medical-malpractice-103102.php

PLEASE INCREASE YOUR AWARENESS ON SKIN CANCER, PROTECT YOUR FAMILY AGAINST SKIN CANCER AND TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION.PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO VISIT THE FOLOWING WEBSITE FOR MORE DETAILS http://www.dermanetwork.org/news/news_details.asp?ID=550