10 Important Facts Everyone Should Know About Developing Skin Cancer

Understanding some of the important facts about skin cancer is half the battle with conquering the disease and detecting it early providing the best chance at a full recovery. Everyone should be eager to learn information about the risks and signs of skin cancer, in order to try and prevent this disease from striking them or their family.

1. Skin cancer is a disease that anyone can be predisposed to having. Skin cancer starts early in life and sometimes can take a full lifetime to develop. Many men who have worked their entire life in the sun have skin cancer later in life, as well as women who did years of sunbathing.

2. Some workplace chemical hazards can also cause you to be more sensitive to the sun and skin disease. Working around petroleum based products can cause a person's skin to be more sensitive to the sun's UV rays. Many years ago it was common place for women to use baby oil and other products while suntanning however they increased the skin's sensitivity to the sun and to the damage caused by the sun's rays.

3. Using sunscreen does not protect us completely from the sun's rays. Many people use sunscreens but either because of improper SPF or improper application may still get burned and damage their skin. Sunscreens offer limited protection and for people who have chronic exposure to the sun's rays the sunscreen must be reapplied often to continue to provide protection, however using sunscreen never completely protects the skin from sun damage.

4. Smoking is a risk factor for developing many medical conditions including cancer. Smoking inhibits the oxygen level in the blood and the toxicity of the smoking actually contributes to many medical conditions including cell damage and skin problems. Smoking inhibits a person's ability to fight off medical problems by weakening the immune system and thereby more likely to get many medical conditions including developing malignancies.

5. The majority of people know that suntanning is a risk factor for skin damage and medical problems such as skin cancer. However people that use tanning beds are also exposed to skin problems and other medical problems such as an eye cancer can ocular melanoma. Any type of UV exposure causes damage to the skin and is a risk factor in skin cancer.

6. Skin cancers start small and grow over time. Many people do not normally notice or check their bodies for changes such as mole like growths and reddened or scaly patches, which is why many skin cancers go unnoticed until they have grown and in some cases have spread to other parts of the body.

7. Taking anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin or ibuprofen after chronic sun exposure may help deter the chemical responses that develop into skin cancer. However simply refraining from over exposure to the sun is always better than any preventive measure such as sunscreens or anti-inflammatory.

8. Skin damage is still possible even under clothing. Some clothing choices such as white cotton offer only minimal coverage from the sun's harmful rays.

9. Using some skin creams such as creams with alpha-hydroxy acids may actually expose your skin to increased sun sensitivity. Alpha hydroxy acids actually strip away dead skin cells and it is those cells that make up the outer layer of the skin and act like UV blockers to sun damage. People should thereby if they use skin creams or dermabrasion products use sunscreens on a regular basis to protect their skin afterward.

10. Knowing the ABCD and E's of self skin exams can detect early signs of skin cancer. A is asymmetry meaning are all the mole like growths equal in appearance is there any growth that is unequal in appearance from the others that are on your body. B is borders which simply means do any of the growths or mole like features on your body misshapen. C is color which means does any of the growths have unique color appearance from the other parts of your skin. D is diameter meaning that skin cancer growths are usually not the same in size and should be compared for any signs of growth. E is elevation and elevation refers to the height of the growth as compared to other parts of your skin. Some mole like growth may have more elevation than others however cancerous growth sometimes have different elevation within the same growth such as one side is large than the other.

See your doctor if you have any concerns over any growth or abnormal change you may have found on your body immediately.

References for this article include: www.skincancer.org/Skin-Cancer-Facts
www.medicinenet.com/skin_cancer/article.htm
www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/skincancer/facts.htm
cancer.about.com/od/skincancermelanoma/tp/skincancerfacts.htm