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The following article was published in Your Health Magazine. Our mission is to empower people to live healthier.
Nicole Hayre, MD
Do You Have Skin Cancer?
Cosmetic Dermatology Center
. http://www.cosmetic-dermatology-center.com

Do You Have Skin Cancer?

Did you know that cancer of the skin accounts for about half of all cancers, making it the most common of all cancers? Approximately 4% of all skin cancers are malignant melanoma.

The American Cancer Society estimates that this year in the United States there will be more than 73,870 new cases of melanoma, and that approximately 9,940 people will die from the disease. Thankfully, the great majority of people have non-melanoma skin cancer, which is typically not fatal. Even still, approximately 1,000 to 2,000 people are expected to die from non-melanoma skin cancer this year due to very advanced cases or other factors contributing to poor immune systems.

Why do people develop skin cancer?

Non-melanoma skin cancers are the most frequently diagnosed cancers in the United States each year more than all other cancers combined. This type of skin cancer includes basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. They tend to develop from sun damage accrued over one's lifetime. Also, it is believed that there is a genetic component involved. This means that you are more likely to develop a skin cancer if one of your parents has had skin cancer.

Genetic susceptibility also comes into play with malignant melanoma. However, instead of just sun damage being important, current thinking is that it is a history of bad sunburns, which may be more important in determining one's risk of developing malignant melanoma.

Why do some people die from their skin cancer?

As previously stated, those with compromised immune systems are more vulnerable to a skin cancer spreading, even if it is the non-melanoma type. Regardless of one's health status, melanoma is almost uniformly fatal once it has grown to a certain depth in the skin. Early detection is absolutely critical for one to have a good prognosis. When detected early, even melanoma has a cure rate approaching 97%.

How do you know if you have a skin cancer? What do skin cancers look like?

It is impossible to cover this vast topic in one article. The best way to know if you have a skin cancer, or something on your skin, which needs to be removed, is to have a full body skin exam by a board-certified dermatologist.

In addition, you should check your own skin monthly for anything that appears to be new or changing. Most lesions, which are more worrisome, will appear to change or grow over time. If you notice anything like this, you should make an appointment as soon as you are able to, because early detection of a skin cancer can be critical.

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