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.
Another type of squamous skin cancer is called Bowen’s disease. It generally occurs in people over sixty and is more common in women. It’s typical signs are a large red rash on the surface of the skin. It is slightly elevated from the skin and had a pronounced edge. As it develops the rash will become scaly to the touch and lesions may develop.
A mature squamous cell carcinoma can often look like a large open ulcer on the surface of the skin. It will bleed often and require constant attention. The cancerous cells can form anywhere on the body but are more commonly found in areas that get most exposed to sunlight or other forms of UV rays. So look for them on the face, ears neck, upper back and arms.
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.
Take preventative steps so that you never have to go through the diagnosis and treating of squamous skin cancer. Prevention involves limiting your exposure to ultra-violet radiation. The principle source of this is sunlight. Spend as little time in the sun as you can. You may also have skin that is more susceptible to UV rays. This will be obvious as you will burn easily in the sun.
If you must go out in the sun then wear protective clothing and a wide brimmed hat. Wear eye protection and sunscreen. You should reapply the sunscreen every few hours (or the recommended usage advice on the sunscreen bottle).
