What Even is Skin Cancer?
It's crazy to think that something that we look at everyday can turn into something dangerous and potentially life threatening. Whenever you hear the word cancer you think of something inside the body and not outside the body. Skin Cancer is actually the most common type of cancer in the U.S. It's an estimate that one in five people will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. Skin cancer is life threatening when not taken care of though the majority of the time it's caught ahead of before anything serious. The type of skin cancer that causes the most deaths is melanoma.
There are three common types of skin cancer; Basal cell, squamous cell carcinomas, and Melanoma.
It's important to know how your skin looks and when it starts to change. A lot of the time people forget to take care of their whole body instead of just the face. No matter how light or dark your skin is, keeping tabs on moles or sudden changes is really important.
A yearly check up with your dermatologist will help keep your skin in check and help your worries go down.
Just a reminder, if there is a concern for your skin, go to the professionals. Google can be a scary place when it gives the worst of the worst. The freckle that is a concern may just be a birthmark that has always been there.
Here are tips on how to check your skin!
Have a good understanding of where any moles on your body are placed. If you have a tendency to get freckles it may be harder to track new ones. That’s okay, as long as something out of the ordinary pops up and has you questioning.
Any time you get a tan or burn in the slightest bit, check your skin.
How to look for Melanoma
When it comes to moles, it's really important to make sure they dont change. Keep tabs on the moles that you have and look for any suspicious. Here is a fantastic way for you to remember what to look for. ABCDE is a great acronym to remember what to look out for melanoma.
A stands for Asymmetry. Shape vs. a round, symmetrical outline
B stands for Border. Has a notched or irregular edges
C stands for Color; Includes varied shades of brown and black instead
of a single consistent shade of brown.
D stands for Diameter; larger than ¼” inch around (as big as a pencil eraser head)
E stands for Evolving; Any change in size, shape, color or elevation of a spot on your skin,
or any new symptom in it, such as bleeding, itching or crusting
Remember if something seems suspicious, set up and appointment with your dermatologist!
Thank you for reading!
~ Grace Braddock at Ethereal Rejuvenation Clinic