Skin cancer seems to be getting a lot of attention of late. There are ad campaigns and public service announcements on television and radio. This may be due to the increased understanding of the disease or that the number of cases are rising and people need education on the subject. There are three types of skin cancer - malignant melanoma, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. This article will deal with detecting squamous cell carcinoma.
The initial signs of squamous cell skin cancer could be a red spot or mark on the epidermis or top layer of the skin. The mark will be raised from the skin. It will grow larger with time and can often develop into an irregular shaped blemish. To the touch, it will feel scaly and hard. As the cancer develops the blemish may develop a lesion and bleeding may come from it. Squamous skin cancer develops to surrounding skin cells quite often if not treated.
Bowen’s disease is another form of squamous skin cancer. This happens more commonly in older people (over 60) and women. Bowen’s disease often looks like a red rash that is slightly elevated from the epidermis. Like other forms of the disease, the rash will become scaly to the touch and multiple lesions may occur.
Particularly bad cases of squamous cell carcinoma may look like large ulcers or lesions on the skin. They can occur on all areas of the skin that are exposed to the sun but mainly on the face and neck.
People soon spot squamous cell skin cancer on the face as they are very conscious of their appearance. In these cases it is noticed in the early stages and can be treated successfully. Treatment could range from freezing the cancerous cells to excision. It is done in the doctor’s surgery and can be a quick as 30 minutes.
Preventing squamous skin cancer is obviously more desirable than ever having to treat it. The best way to prevent any skin cancer is to limit the amount of time you spend in the sun or appliances that expose the skin to UVA and UVB radiation (like sun beds). The length of time depends on your skin type but no matter what type it is you should avoid excessive sun tanning and sunburn.
If you can’t avoid being in the sun as you work outdoors or much of your leisure time is spent outside then take adequate protection. Wear protective clothing, like a wide brimmed hat (or some kind of head gear) and a shirt preferably long sleeved. also wear eye protection and a sunscreen.