Skin cancer can be treated if detected early, so it’s important to understand how to recognize its symptoms.
Definition of skin cancer.
The two main types of skin cancer are melanoma and carcinoma. Cancer is the most common cancer in the Caucasus. On the other hand, skin cancer is less common but more dangerous.
Although it accounts for only 10% of skin cancers, it accounts for 75% of deaths from this type of cancer. According to VIDAL, about 65,000 new cases of cancer and 8,000 new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in France every year. The main risk factors for skin cancer are:
Be careful if you have fair skin, the risk is higher.
Excessive exposure to the sun before the age of 15 (in combination with the need to protect children’s skin and not enough sunscreen, wearing t-shirts and hats);
constant exposure to sunlight and / or artificial ultraviolet rays;
Family history of skin cancer.
Number of moles on your skin: Having more than 50 moles is a risk factor.
Mole: when to worry?
If a mole meets at least three criteria of the “ABCDE” rule, a dermatologist should be consulted.
A for inequality
(b) for irregular boundaries.
C for color (if the mole is discolored or abnormal)
D is the diameter (should not be more than 6 mm)
Scalability: Growth and/or scalability (this last criterion is the most important, if you only gave it out of 5, you can consult an expert)
Should I be worried if a mole is bleeding?
Are you scratched, cut or damaged? Bleeding from a mole caused by an injury is not dangerous.
If you are at risk, don’t hesitate to visit your dermatologist regularly.
Also, don’t forget to do a self-examination to check for any moles or other lesions that meet at least three ABCDE criteria.
Undress him completely and examine him carefully.
face and ears.
Better smoothing of the skin with the help of a hair dryer;
do not forget your nails;
Hands and armpits.
neck, chest (well visible under women’s breasts), abdomen;
Use a mirror to examine the neck, shoulders, back, buttocks, and back of the thighs.
Finally, sit down and examine the thighs, calves, and front of the legs, including the nails and genitals, with a mirror.
Learn more about basal cell carcinoma
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of cancer in adults (70%) and accounts for the majority of skin cancers.
It usually occurs after the age of 60 and occurs on the skin in areas exposed to sunlight. 70-80% of basal cell carcinomas are located on the face and neck.
What do they look like?
In most cases, basal cell carcinoma is characterized by small, hard, pearly lesions up to several millimeters in diameter, elevated and crisscrossed by small blood vessels.
This type of cancer manifests itself as slow, gradually enlarging (usually on the trunk and limbs), scaly patches (usually on the chest and back), or persistent sores, white, yellow, waxy pink, or red spots. a solid plaque defining its limits.
Basal cell cancers are often detected early, which allows them to be treated as effectively as possible. Surgery is the best and often the only treatment necessary.
Learn more about squamous cell carcinoma, or squamous cell carcinoma
Squamous cell carcinoma, or squamous cell carcinoma, occurs in the same area of the skin but progresses more rapidly. It is less common than basal cell carcinoma (20% of skin cancers).
What do they look like?
They look like small red, painful, raised bumps that bleed easily. Squamous cell carcinoma usually develops on actinic keratosis, which is a small scaly nodule, a few millimeters in diameter, red or brown in color, usually on sun-exposed areas.
People with multiple actinic keratosis have a 10% chance of developing invasive squamous cell carcinoma. If actinic keratosis rapidly spreads, swells, and hardens, squamous cell metastasis may be suspected. Squamous cell carcinoma metastasizes to the lymph nodes and should be treated as soon as possible.
Learn more about skin cancer
Melanoma is a cancer that arises from skin cells called melanocytes. It is the rarest form of skin cancer (10%), but it is also the most dangerous. People with fair skin have a harder time getting a tan and are more likely to get skin cancer.
what does it look like
Cutaneous melanoma presents as a rapidly changing pigmented lesion that resembles a mole.
Recently, this task occurs in 70-80% of cases. In rare cases, it can correspond to an existing mole that can turn into melanoma.
In most cases, melanoma has the following characteristics: an uneven outline, a raised or irregular surface, brown, black, red, sometimes blue, large irregular streaks.
It is any body
