What are the signs of skin cancer?
CANCER; just a six letter word but is capable enough to scare people out, the moment they hear someone is suffering from CANCER and one of the reasons is that the fatality caused due to cancer. The fatality rate is very high because of cancer, and that is one of the most important things that make people scared of it, however with advancement in technology and medical science, things are changing and doctors are able to bring down the fatality rate a lot.
But why are we talking about cancer today? Well, that’s because we wish to know what the symptoms of Skin Cancer are, so that people can keep a watch on themselves, and the moment they notice any of it, they can get them treated without any further delays and damage to their health. But before get to know the symptoms of Skin Cancer, let’s have a quick look at what is Cancer and Skin Cancer?
What is cancer?
Cancer is a type of disease in which some of the body’s cells grow crazily and outspreads to other parts of the body.
Cancer can develop anywhere and everywhere in the human body, which is made up of billions & billions of cells. Usually, human cells grow and multiply (through a process known as cell division) to form new cells as it the necessity of the body. When cells grow old or become damaged, they die, and new cells appear in place of the old ones.
However once in a while this orderly procedure breaks down, and abnormal or damaged cells grow and multiply in a crazy manner when they shouldn’t. And these abnormal or damaged cells may form tumours, (Tumours are nothing but lumps of tissues). Although Tumours can either be cancerous or non - cancerous (also known as benign).
What are the most common types of cancer?
Over time, there have 200 different types of cancer that have been identified thus one can see that there are so many different types of cancer prevailing in the world and because there are so many different types, there has to be some most common ones as well and they are as follows: Breast Cancer, Colon Cancer, Kidney Cancer, Melanoma, Bladder Cancer and so on.
The above mentioned are some of the most common types of Cancer that one can suffer from. And as we can see that Melanoma Cancer is also one of the most common types of cancers thus making it important for us to know about Skin Cancer, it’s types and symptoms, so that if one suffers from it they can get themselves treated soon without being much damaged being done.
What is Skin Cancer?
Skin Cancer is nothing but the abnormal growth of the skin cells and most often develops on the skin that is most exposed in the sunlight. But that doesn’t mean that one can be affected by skin cancer on the areas not exposed to the sun. There are three main types of Skin Cancer and they are as follows:
Basal cell carcinoma,
Squamous cell carcinoma and
Melanoma
They also find their names on different parts of the skin, meaning the layer of skin where the cancer cells grow or develop. Where does Skin Cancer Start? Skin cancer grows mainly on sun-exposed skin areas, including the scalp, face, lips, ears, neck, chest, arms and hands, and even in women. But they may also be in rare places to see the sunlight — on the palms of one's hands, under the fingernails or toes, and on the genitals. Skin cancer affects people of all skin types, including those with dark skin. If melanoma occurs in people with dark skin, it is more likely to occur in areas exposed to the sun, such as the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet.
Where does Skin Cancer Start? Most skin cancers start in the upper layer of the skin, called the epidermis. There are 3 main types of cells in the epidermis:
• Squamous cells: Squamous cells are flat cells in the upper (outer) part of the epidermis, which constantly break down as new ones form. When these cells grow out of control, they can develop into squamous cell carcinoma (also called squamous cell carcinoma).
• Basal cells: Basal cells are located at the base of the epidermis, called the basal cell layer. These cells constantly divide to form a new cell and replace the aging squamous cells on the surface of the skin. As these cells grow in the epidermis, they become flattering, thus becoming squamous cells. Skin cancer that starts in the basal cell layer is called basal cell cancer or basal cell carcinomas.
• Melanocytes: Melanocytes are cells that form a brown pigment called melanin, which causes the skin to darken or turn brown. Melanin acts as a natural sunscreen for the body, protecting the deeper layers of the skin from some of the harmful effects of the sun.
Melanoma skin cancer starts in these cells. Now that we know what cancer and skin cancer are and how skin cancer grows and where skin cancer starts, let's look at the symptoms of skin cancer. We will look at all the symptoms based on different types of cancer:
Signs of Basal Cell Skin Cancer:
Shiny pink or red bumps.
White or yellow spots on the skin.
Red episodes.
Open a wound that does not heal.
Symptoms of Squamous Cell Cancer:
Rough Scaly Patches.
Lumps rise slightly backwards in centres.
Open a wound that does not heal.
Wart-like growths (a small hard tissue on the skin caused by a virus) grow.
Symptoms of melanoma skin cancer:
Appearance of large brown in colour with black dots.
Molecules that change colour, size, or even bleeding.
Appearance of a small-sized wound with an irregular border and may appear red, blue, pink, white and dark blue in some areas.
The appearance of a itchy and sometimes painful sore.
These sores can also appear darkly on the soles, palms, fingers or toes, and even on the mucous membranes, oral cavity, nose, anus, and genitals.
Now let's look at the rare and uncommon skin cancer symptoms.
Symptoms of Kaposi's sarcoma:
Red or Purple spots on the skin or mucous membranes.
Symptoms of Merkel Cell Carcinoma:
Appearance of shiny nodules found mainly on the skin or on the hair follicles.
Merkel Cell Carcinoma can be found in the neck, head and trunk.
Symptoms of Sebaceous gland carcinoma:
The appearance of strong, painless nodules.
These bumps can appear anywhere but usually appear on the scalp and people often see it as a mistake as eyelid problems.
Therefore, we now know the different types of Skin Cancer that are prevalent in the world, and what the symptoms are. Although Skin Cancer does not appear to be a deadly type but if not treated immediately then it can be dangerous and dangerous to human health and to death. Therefore, it is a request my dear friends if you notice any of these symptoms in your body or in your immediate area, and immediately visit a doctor, get tested and if needed and be treated.