Eating for two

A Simple Guide to Skin Cancer

28 May 2020

Louis Stone

You might have heard of many people dying from skin cancer. The reason why this is the case is that skin cancer is often diagnosed when it is too late. To prevent late discovery, regular skin cancer checks are recommended. Here's a simple guide to understanding skin cancer and carrying out skin cancer checks.

Know Your Skin

Before you get to learn how to check for skin cancer signs, know and understand your skin. You need to visit a qualified, licensed and reputable dermatologist to achieve this. The main goal is to understand what a normal skin condition is for you and to know when something is not right, which can be seen in the form of rashes, changes in colour (reddening, whitening or darkening), pimples, moles, bumps, scaly skin, etc.

What Are the Symptoms of Skin Cancer?

Once you know what your normal skin looks and feels like, you are ready to learn the signs of skin cancer. You should know that most of these signs are not felt; you can only rely on sight to identify them and that is why most of the time skin cancer is diagnosed late.

A common sign of skin cancer is a mole on your skin. However, not all moles are signs of skin cancer. Skin cancer moles:

• have an irregular shape that is described as notched
• change in size and colour
• can become scaly, rough and ulcerated
• can bleed or weep
• can feel itchy or tingly

Types of Skin Cancer

There are usually three types of skin cancer: 

1. Melanoma —This is considered the most dangerous type of skin cancer because it can spread to other organs of your body.
2. Basal cell carcinoma —This is the most common type of skin cancer and does not spread to other parts of the body. It grows slowly, especially on areas of your skin exposed to the sun. It appears like a lump or dry and scaly area with a red and pale colour.
3. Squamous cell carcinoma — This is also common and does not spread to other parts of the body. It grows slowly, especially on areas of your skin exposed to the sun. It appears like a thick scaly spot with a red and pale colour. It can ulcerate, bleed or crust.

Skin Cancer Checks

You can either examine your body or let a professional and qualified dermatologist examine you for skin cancer:

1. Self-Examination — You have to receive proper examination tips from a qualified dermatologist. Therefore, let your first exam be performed by a dermatologist and you can do the rest.
2. Professional Skin Cancer Check — This is performed by a dermatologist. Note that they might need to inspect your entire body; therefore, you might be asked to choose between a male and a female dermatologist.

For more information, contact a skin cancer clinic in your area.

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