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Most skin cancers are caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. When you don’t protect your skin, UV rays from sunlight or tanning beds can damage your skin’s DNA. When the DNA is altered, it can’t properly control skin cell growth, leading to cancer.
What is the main causes of skin cancer?
Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays. To lower your risk of getting skin cancer, you can protect your skin from UV rays from the sun and from artificial sources like tanning beds and sunlamps.
Is it easy to get skin cancer?
Skin cancer is actually one of the easiest cancers to find. That’s because skin cancer usually begins where you can see it. You can get skin cancer anywhere on your skin — from your scalp to the bottoms of your feet. Even if the area gets little sun, it’s possible for skin cancer to develop there.
What are the main warning signs of skin cancer?
Redness or new swelling beyond the border of a mole. Color that spreads from the border of a spot into surrounding skin. Itching, pain, or tenderness in an area that doesn’t go away or goes away then comes back. Changes in the surface of a mole: oozing, scaliness, bleeding, or the appearance of a lump or bump.
How do you prevent skin cancer?
Practice Sun Safety Stay in the shade. Wear clothing that covers your arms and legs. Wear a hat with a wide brim to shade your face, head, ears, and neck. Wear sunglasses that wrap around and block both UVA and UVB rays. Use a broad spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher.
Can skin cancer be cured?
Skin cancer — abnormal cell changes in the outer layer of skin — is by far the most common cancer in the world. It can usually be cured, but the disease is a major health concern because it affects so many people.
What age can you get skin cancer?
Age. Most basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas typically appear after age 50. However, in recent years, the number of skin cancers in people age 65 and older has increased dramatically. This may be due to better screening and patient tracking efforts in skin cancer.
Do you need to burn to get skin cancer?
Even people who don’t burn are at risk for skin cancer. It doesn’t matter whether you consider your skin light, dark, or somewhere in between. You are at risk for skin cancer. Being in the sun can damage your skin.
Does skin cancer run in families?
Both melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers can run in families. A primary risk factor for skin cancer is UV exposure. Exposure to UV light may be similar between members of the same family and may contribute to multiple family members being diagnosed with melanoma and/or nonmelanoma skin cancers.
What are the 4 types of skin cancer?
There are 4 main types of skin cancer: Basal cell carcinoma. Basal cells are the round cells found in the lower epidermis. Squamous cell carcinoma. Most of the epidermis is made up of flat, scale-like cells called squamous cells. Merkel cell cancer. Melanoma.
Do skin cancers bleed?
Skin cancers often don’t cause bothersome symptoms until they have grown quite large. Then they may itch, bleed, or even hurt. But typically they can be seen or felt long before they reach this point.
What does Stage 1 melanoma look like?
Stage I melanoma is no more than 1.0 millimeter thick (about the size of a sharpened pencil point), with or without an ulceration (broken skin). There is no evidence that Stage I melanoma has spread to the lymph tissues, lymph nodes, or body organs.
What are the three types of skin cancer?
Skin cancer — the abnormal growth of skin cells — most often develops on skin exposed to the sun. But this common form of cancer can also occur on areas of your skin not ordinarily exposed to sunlight. There are three major types of skin cancer — basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma.
Does hair protect from skin cancer?
As a physical blocker, hair does help shield the scalp from some of the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays, which can lead to skin cancer. However, you need more protection than that — especially where you part your hair and if your hair is thin or you have bald spots.
Can you get skin cancer in the shade?
Shade. You can reduce your risk of sun damage and skin cancer by staying in the shade under an umbrella, tree, or other shelter. Your best bet to protect your skin is to use sunscreen or wear protective clothing when you’re outside—even when you’re in the shade.
Should I be worried about skin cancer?
“While the sun makes most of us feel good, it is not your skin’s friend,” said Dr. Michael Stierstorfer, a dermatologist on staff at Abington-Lansdale Hospital. “Burning and tanning both damage the skin.” First, there’s a correlation between blistering sunburns early in life and melanoma later in life, according to Dr.
Is skin cancer serious?
Melanoma is a serious form of skin cancer that begins in cells known as melanocytes. While it is less common than basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), melanoma is more dangerous because of its ability to spread to other organs more rapidly if it is not treated at an early stage.
Do you need chemo for skin cancer?
Chemotherapy. In chemotherapy, drugs are used to kill cancer cells. For cancers limited to the top layer of skin, creams or lotions containing anti-cancer agents may be applied directly to the skin. Systemic chemotherapy can be used to treat skin cancers that have spread to other parts of the body.
Can a baby be born with skin cancer?
Can a baby be born with melanoma? This is rare. Even when the mother has stage IV melanoma, meaning the cancer has spread and is in the most-advanced stage, a baby is rarely born with melanoma. While rare, a baby can be born with melanoma.
Can a kid get skin cancer?
Key points about skin cancer in children Skin cancer is rare in children. Skin cancer is more common in people with light skin, light-colored eyes, and blond or red hair. Follow the ABCDE rule to tell the difference between a normal mole and melanoma. Biopsy is used to diagnose skin cancer.
Can a 13 year old get melanoma?
In fact, melanoma is rare in young children. Even so, there are times when a mole should be checked by a dermatologist just to be sure. Caught early, melanoma is highly treatable.
