Skin Cancer
Did you know that just 5 sunburns alone can increase your risk of getting skin cancer by 50%? That’s right, no wonder people tell you to wear sunscreen! Skin cancer is mainly caused by high amounts of UV rays being emitted into your skin which damages your skin leaving your skin cells to grow uncontrollably. Also, skin cancer can come in 3 different forms and affects fair-skinned people a bit more than darker-skinned people. To add on, if skin cancer is detected early on, you will have around a 99% chance of surviving. Furthermore, ongoing research is ongoing on how to detect skin cancer early on and how to better treat it. You may be asking yourself: what are the types of skin cancers!
Like any other type of cancer, skin cancer is when skin cells multiply at an uncontrollable rate but what you may not know is that skin cancer can take many types of forms. The skin is composed of 3 main layers, the epidermis (the outermost layer of the skin, the one you can see), the dermis (right below the epidermis), and the hypodermis (the innermost part of the skin). The three main types of skin cancer mostly occur in the epidermis. The epidermis is comprised of three parts, the outermost layer of the epidermis is the squamous cells (the biggest layer of the epidermis), below that, are the basal cells (these cells produce skin cells), and below the Basal cells are the melanocytes (they make up your skin color).
When Basal cells grow uncontrollably, the cancer is called (BCC), when the Squamous cells grow uncontrollably, it is called (SCC) and when the melanocytes grow uncontrollably, it is called melanoma. The most prevalent skin cancer is the (BCC) type. To sum all this up, the skin is made out of many layers and cells and those layers can cause different types of skin cancer.
Skin cancer can be easily preventable if you take the right steps. Since this cancer is mostly caused by high amounts of UV rays, you can simply wear a protective sunblock or try to limit your time outside on a very sunny day. Also, skin cancer is hereditary so if a distant ancestor had some form of skin cancer, there might be a chance that you may have it at some point in your lifetime. To add on, fair-skinned people have a higher chance of getting skin cancer than someone who has darker skin. Other causes of skin cancer can include ingesting high amounts of arsenic (a heavy metal) and prior radiation therapy. Also, if you can, try to not be artificially tanned because it can do a great deal of damage to your skin because of the UV rays it emits. Basically, the main cause of skin cancer is high amounts of UV rays hitting your skin, and to prevent this, wear sunblock and cover your skin.
The symptoms of skin cancer can include rough red scaly skin, a newly developed spot on your skin, an existing spot changed in size or color, and itchy skin. Yikes! The good news is that if the symptoms are discovered within a year, there is a 99% survival rate. On top of that, there are many ways to treat skin cancer. You can have surgery (only in serious cases), radiation therapy, chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, chemical peel, and drug therapy. Also, skin cancer is one of the easier types of cancer to treat! To sum up all of this information, skin cancer has many symptoms and many treatment options.
All in all, skin cancer is when the skin cells in your body grow at an uncontrollable rate. There are 3 main types of skin cancer and affects fair-skinned people a bit more than darker-skinned people. There are many factors and causes of skin cancer and many treatment options. There is also ongoing research on skin cancer on how to prevent and treat skin cancer better so we can be better prepared!
