Some Things You Need To Know About Skin Cancer

Posted on: 10 February 2018

Share  

Being able to detect skin cancer is incredibly important for every person. There are too many people who succumb to the terrible effects of skin cancer, simply because they didn't know what to look for and didn't catch it early on. As with all cancers, early detection is key. This is why it is so important that you educate yourself on what to look for in skin cancer.

What Are Some Of The Signs Of Skin Cancer?

One of the most prominent ways to get skin cancer is to have a mole become compromised. You should be checking your moles often to make sure that there are no changes to them. One of the worrisome signs is a change in size—if a mole is growing, that is a problem. Second, if the mole changes in color, that is a bad sign. Your moles should have a defined border around them. There should be no leaking outside of the border. The mole should also look symmetrical. If one side is different than the other side then this could be a sign that the mole is cancerous. Any of these should be looked at by a doctor.

Additionally, you can get skin cancer without having a compromised mole. If you have a dry patch of skin that won't heal, or a wound that has not healed, it could be a sign that you have skin cancer. This is especially the case if the dry patch or the wound is getting worse not better.

What Happens If I Have Skin Cancer?

The key is catching it early. So if you go to your dermatologist and it is determined that you have a cancerous mole, they will simply remove it. If the mole has been there too long, of if you are showing symptoms of the cancer spreading, then they will continue to test more and perhaps do more invasive cancer treatments. This is the same for a compromised area of skin that isn't a mole. You can get this area frozen off or removed and that should take care of the problem.

If the cancer has spread to other organs, you might need to do more intense skin cancer treatments, such as chemo.

What Is The Prognosis of Skin Cancer?

Each person will have a different prognosis depending on the stage that they are in. There are some people who have had skin cancer and it barely affects their life because they caught it early, and there are others that it proves to be fatal because it has spread.

These are some things that you should know about skin cancer.