Skin Cancer & its Prevention

The disease known as skin cancer is caused by aberrant cells growing in the tissues of your skin. Normally, new skin cells develop to replace aging and dying skin cells. Cells proliferate more quickly when this process isn’t functioning properly, such as after being exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun. These cells might be benign (noncancerous), meaning they don’t spread or hurt people. Or they might be malignant.

If skin cancer is not detected early, it may spread to other parts of your body or to adjacent tissue. Thankfully, the majority of skin cancers are curable if detected and treated early. Therefore, if you suspect that you may have skin cancer, it’s critical to consult your doctor.

Types of skin cancer

There are three main types of skin cancer:

Basal cell carcinoma, which forms in your basal cells in the lower part of your epidermis (the outside layer of your skin).
Squamous cell carcinoma, which forms in your squamous cells in the outside layer of your skin.
Melanoma, which forms in cells called melanocytes. Melanocytes produce melanin, a brown pigment that gives your skin its color and protects against some of the sun’s damaging UV rays. This is the most serious type of skin cancer because it can spread to other areas of your body.

Other types of skin cancer include:

Common skin cancer

In the United States, skin cancer is the most often diagnosed cancer. In actuality, around one out of five people will have skin cancer at some point in their lives.

Symptoms and Causes

A change on your skin, either a new growth or a modification to an existing growth or mole, is the most prevalent warning sign of skin cancer. Symptoms of skin cancer include:

A new mole. Or a mole that changes in size, shape or color, or that bleeds.
A pearly or waxy bump on your face, ears or neck.
A flat, pink/red- or brown-colored patch or bump.
Areas on your skin that look like scars.
Sores that look crusty, have a depression in the middle or bleed often.
A wound or sore that won’t heal, or that heals but comes back again.
A rough, scaly lesion that might itch, bleed and become crusty.

Skin cancer look like

Skin cancer looks different depending on what type of skin cancer you have. Thinking of the ABCDE rule tells you what signs to watch for:

Asymmetry: Irregular shape.
Border: Blurry or irregularly shaped edges.
Color: Mole with more than one color.
Diameter: Larger than a pencil eraser (6 millimeters).
Evolution: Enlarging, changing in shape, color or size.

If you’re worried about a mole or another skin lesion, make an appointment and show it to your healthcare provider. They’ll check your skin and may ask you to see a dermatologist and have the lesion further evaluated.

Causes the condition

Overexposure to sunlight is the primary cause of skin cancer, particularly when blistering and sunburned. The sun’s UV rays harm your skin’s DNA, which leads to the formation of aberrant cells. A mass of cancer cells is created when these aberrant cells divide quickly and haphazardly

Risk factors for skin cancer

Skin cancer can strike anyone, regardless of gender or color. However, some groups receive more of it than others. Before the age of 50, skin cancer is more common in women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB). After 50, though, it’s more common in men and people assigned male at birth (AMAB). And it’s about 30 times more common in non-Hispanic white people than non-Hispanic Black people or people of Asian/Pacific Islander descent. Unfortunately, skin cancer is often diagnosed in later stages for people with darker skin tones. This makes it more difficult to treat.

Spend a considerable amount of time working or playing in the sun.
Get easily sunburned or have a history of sunburns.
Live in a sunny or high-altitude climate.
Tan or use tanning beds.
Have light-colored eyes, blond or red hair and fair or freckled skin.
Have many moles or irregularly shaped moles.
Have actinic keratosis (precancerous skin growths that are rough, scaly, dark pink-to-brown patches).
Have a family history of skin cancer.
Have had an organ transplant.
Take medications that suppress or weaken your immune system.
Have been exposed to UV light therapy for treating skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis.

Diagnosis and Tests

A dermatologist could start by asking you whether you have any new skin growths or if any of your current moles, freckles, or other skin areas have changed. After that, they will check every part of your body, including your scalp, ears, palms, soles, between your toes, genital area, and between your buttocks.

Your provider might do a biopsy if they think you have skin cancer. A biopsy involves removing a sample of tissue and sending it to a lab for microscopic examination by a pathologist. Your dermatologist will tell you if your skin lesion is skin cancer, what type you have and discuss treatment options.

Skin cancer stages

The stages of cancer indicate the extent of the disease in your body. Skin cancer can progress from stage 0 to stage IV. Generally speaking, a larger score indicates that the cancer has spread and is more difficult to treat. However, non-melanoma skin cancers that begin in your squamous or basal cells have a distinct staging than melanoma.

Melanoma staging

Stage 0 (melanoma in situ): The melanoma is only in the top layer of your skin.
Stage I: The melanoma is low risk and there’s no evidence that it has spread. It’s generally curable with surgery.
Stage II: It has some features that indicate that it’s likely to come back (recur), but there’s no evidence of spread.
Stage III: The melanoma has spread to nearby lymph nodes or nearby skin.
Stage IV: The melanoma has spread to more distant lymph nodes or skin, or has spread to internal organs.

Non-melanoma staging

Stage 0: Cancer is only in the top layer of your skin.
Stage I (1): Cancer is in the top and middle layers of your skin.
Stage II (2): Cancer is in the top and middle layers of your skin and moves to target your nerves or deeper layers of skin.
Stage III (3): Cancer has spread beyond your skin to your lymph nodes.
Stage IIIV (4): Cancer has spread to other parts of your body and your organs like your liver, lungs or brain.

Management and Treatment

The cancer’s stage determines the course of treatment. If the cancer is tiny and only affects the skin’s surface, a biopsy may be sufficient to remove all of the cancerous tissue. Other popular therapies for skin cancer, either by themselves or in combination, include:

Cryotherapy: Your dermatologist uses liquid nitrogen to freeze skin cancer. The dead cells slough off after treatment.
Excisional surgery: Your dermatologist removes the tumor and some surrounding healthy skin to be sure all the cancer is gone.
Mohs surgery: Your dermatologist removes only diseased tissue, saving as much surrounding normal tissue as possible. Providers use this to treat basal cell and squamous cell cancers and, sometimes, other skin cancers that develop near sensitive or cosmetically important areas, like your eyelids, ears, lips, forehead, scalp, fingers or genital area.
Curettage and electrodesiccation: Your dermatologist uses an instrument with a sharp, looped edge to remove cancer cells as it scrapes across the tumor. Then, they use an electric needle to destroy any remaining cancer cells. Providers often use this to treat basal cell and squamous cell cancers and precancerous skin tumors.
Chemotherapy: Your dermatologist or oncologist uses medications to kill cancer cells. Anticancer medications can be applied directly on the skin (topical chemotherapy) if limited to your skin’s top layer or provided through pills or an IV if the cancer has spread to other parts of your body.
Immunotherapy: Your oncologist gives you medications to train your immune system to kill cancer cells.
Radiation therapy: Your radiation oncologist uses radiation (strong beams of energy) to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing and dividing.
Photodynamic therapy: Your dermatologist coats your skin with medication, which they activate with a blue or red fluorescent light. This therapy destroys precancerous cells while leaving normal cells alone.

Complications/side effects of the treatment

The side effects of skin cancer treatment depend on what treatments your healthcare provider think will work best for you. Chemotherapy for skin cancer can lead to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and hair loss. Other side effects or complications of skin cancer treatment include:

Bleeding.
Pain and swelling.
Scars.
Nerve damage that results in loss of feeling.
Skin infection.
Regrowth of the tumor after it’s been removed.

Prevention

Skin cancer is mostly preventable. Avoiding sunburns and excessive sunshine is the best defense. Sunlight’s UV rays harm your skin, which might eventually result in skin cancer.

Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a skin protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher. Broad-spectrum sunscreens protect against both UV-B and UV-A rays. Apply the sunscreen 30 minutes before you go outside. Wear sunscreen every day, even on cloudy days and during the winter months.
Wear hats with wide brims to protect your face and ears.
Wear long-sleeved shirts and pants to protect your arms and legs. Look for clothing with an ultraviolet protection factor label for extra protection.
Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes. Look for glasses that block both UV-B and UV-A rays.
Use a lip balm with sunscreen.
Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Avoid tanning beds. If you want a tanned look, use a spray-on tanning product.
Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist if any of the medications you take make your skin more sensitive to sunlight. Some medications known to make your skin more sensitive to the sun include tetracycline and fluoroquinolone antibiotics, tricyclic antibiotics, the antifungal agent griseofulvin and statin cholesterol-lowering drugs.
Regularly check all your skin for any changes in size, shape or color of skin growths or the development of new skin spots. Don’t forget to check your scalp, ears, the palms of your hands, soles of your feet, between your toes, your genital area and between your buttocks. Use mirrors and even take pictures to help identify changes in your skin over time. Make an appointment for a full-body skin exam with your dermatologist if you notice any changes in a mole or other skin spot.