Skin Cancer: The Little Bits You Should Know
January 28, 2009
The word cancer in itself is very scary, and when you hear about skin cancer your heart starts beating even harder because that’s the most dangerous of the whole lot. What’s even more alarming is that the European and American races are more prone to suffer from this particular cancer.
The basics
Melanoma, as it is known in medical terminology, usually begins as mild pigmentation which spreads abnormally and soon other symptoms begin to show up. At times skin cancer may begin from an existing mole, although in most cases a new pigmentation spot is what comes in first.
There are several factors which have been held responsible for the growing number of skin cancer cases such as a weak immunity system, presence of too many moles on the body, overexposure to harmful radiation such as ultraviolet, freckles and pigmentation affected skin, and severe sunburns. Also, heredity too has its own part to play.
Symptoms
As we mentioned skin cancer may start up as a small rash, pigmentation or may begin from an existing mole, here are a few things that will help you determine whether that small little itchy patch on your skin can be cancerous or not.
•   If the spot is non-cancerous, its edges are most likely to be smooth, because skin cancer patches usually look frayed and tattered. In case of a mole you will feel the mole has become very tender and you may also experience itching.
•   Skin cancer spots are usually ill-proportioned and asymmetrical as against the usual rashes and pigmentation.
•   There is bound to be some color variation across the affected skin, and the more the color variation the more advanced your skin cancer may be. Apart from the usual brown, black and tan, red, white, blue and gray shade pigments may also be observed at times.
•   Cancerous moles are usually bigger than pea size and go on increasing in size as days pass by.
Although you can use these symptoms to decide whether your skin condition could be skin cancer, it is always better to rush to the doctor in case you see any spots on your skin which feel more than the usual rashes.
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