Know Different Types Of Skin Cancer And How Your Negligence Can Increase the Skin cancer rate

With the rising concerns of cancer prevailing across the world, there is an extreme need for you to know different types of skin cancer and know various modes of skin cancer prevention. But would you believe that skin cancer is somehow indirectly related to the people being selfish about their own needs? Read on to know.

Isn’t it really true that we put our own needs before others needs in most of the cases? It can absolutely be the best way to avoid the crap and live a peaceful life. But it does not work all the time. Sometimes, we have to take up the responsibility of having a slight concern about our nature and surroundings. This can undoubtedly sound like bragging but, we would really step up for the right cause once we realise that our negligence can be one of the skin cancer causes.

What Is One Of The Most Common Causes Of Skin Cancer?

It took millions of years for nature to evolve into such a beautiful place, the one with appropriate compositions of air, water, land, fire and space. It feels tremendous to realise that we as an integral part of this motherland have been vested with the same elements inside our body.

After repeated evolutions, the earth has been gifted with the feasible conditions for the sustainment of life. To your surprise, nature has also given a beautiful shield to protect your skin from the high intensity of sun rays. Still clueless? This is with reference to a miraculous layer called ozone surrounding the atmosphere which protects the life from ultraviolet rays.

How unfortunate and inhumane it is to cause the depletion of this layer that has been created for the sole purpose of protecting our skin!? While there are other skin cancer causes that lead to various types of skin cancer, we can stop the ozone layer from being depleted by stopping the emission of chlorofluorocarbons.

What Causes Skin Cancer?

While the direct exposure of our skin to ultraviolet rays is one of the most common skin cancer causes, there are various types of skin cancer, skin cancer causes other than excessive sunbathing and different ways of skin cancer prevention that you are going to learn in this article.

Some Astonishing Causes Of Skin Cancer

It is important to know that even though there are various skin cancer causes, the ultimate effect is the abnormal growth of growth of skin cells which gradually leads to the formation of tumours. Here are various reasons for skin cancer

1)    If you desire to stay tanned always, you must note that the frequent usage of sunbeds can cause skin cancer.

2)    Radiotherapy treatments can damage our skin cells leading to skin cancer

3)    People who have undergone a kidney transplant can develop skin cancer

4)    Lower levels of immunity can possibly cause skin cancer

5)    If your workplace exposes your skin to various types of chemicals

6)    Skin cancer can be inherited from family members in some cases.

7)    X- rays may not always cause skin cancer but a frequent exposure to the waves can cause skin cancer.

But before you get to know the types of skin cancer, you can check with the following skin cancer symptoms to stay away from this dreadful disease.

Know About Skin Cancer Early Signs To Put Yourself In A Safe Zone

To gain a much better and clear understanding, you can learn about various skin cancer symptoms that vary from one kind of skin cancer to the other.

Different Types Of Skin Cancer Along With Early Signs Of Skin Cancer

Actinic Keratoses

If you are someone who gets exposed to intense sun rays, you must be extra careful as the ultraviolet rays can damage your skin cells which shows up in the form of red scaly outgrowths on your skin.

You might observe the occurrence of these breakouts mostly on your scalp, ears, shoulders, neck, lips or any part of your skin that is being exposed to sun rays. You must be very well aware that this can also be caused due to your excessive desire to tan your skin. If you have a habit of frequently visiting your tanning centre, it is time for you to realise the danger and be vigilant enough to protect your skin

Warts on your skin are initially so small, that can only be felt by touch as they are hardly visible to a naked eye. Actinic keratosis is one such type of skin cancer that develops after years of constant exposure to the sun. One can develop this type of skin cancer after forty years of age

Actinic keratosis if left untreated can lead to squamous cell carcinoma which is mentioned below in the article.

Skin Cancer Symptoms – Actinic Keratoses

1)    The appearance of bumps or warts on the areas that have been exposed to the sun

2)    Colour of these bumps or warts may vary. They can be red, pink or flesh-toned.

3)    The warts are rough and dry to touch and may grow up to one inch in size.

4)    You may feel burning or itching sensation in the affected area of your skin

Basal Cell Carcinoma

Basal cell cancer or basal cell carcinoma is the most commonly occurring skin cancer out of all the different types of skin cancer. Our skin layer consists of three different layers called epidermis, dermis and hypodermis.

These three layers are composed of different types of cells and tissues. Basal cells are the innermost or the deeply present cells in the epidermis layer. It is astonishing to know that people who contain fairer skin tone are more susceptible to basal cell carcinoma.

Similar to actinic keratoses, basal cell carcinoma is also caused because of a constant exposure to sun rays but unlike actinic keratosis, the infected basal cells do not spread to the internal organs of your body. Basal cell carcinoma can either be treated with surgery or chemotherapy.

Skin Cancer Symptoms – Basal Cell Carcinoma

1)    The appearance of tumours on your skin which can be identified by tiny visible blood vessels.

2)    These are usually pink coloured or appear like pink patches to be more precise which are surrounded by an outline of the white border.

3)    They can resemble eczema or psoriasis which is why you must consult your doctor for the proper confirmation and diagnosis.

4)    In the rarest case, the infected cells can become lethal by entering the nerves or bones which causes disfigurement.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Squamous cells constitute to the topmost and the thickest layer of the epidermis and its major function is to protect the damaged skin from the invasion of various germs and bacteria.

Squamous cell carcinoma occurs when these cells are affected because of the skin’s exposure to ultraviolet rays. This type of skin cancer is the second most common type of skin cancer and you will be surprised to know that more than one million people in the U.S get affected by squamous cell carcinoma each year.

Women who are addicted to the usage of sunbeds or tanning beds in a desire to darken their skin tone are more prone to squamous cell carcinoma than the others.

Squamous cell carcinoma is not only pertained to skin but it can also affect genital tract, breasts, prostate gland or urinary tract. Squamous cell carcinoma can cause infected cells to invade other parts of your body, but this can be prevented by early diagnosis and treatment.

Skin Cancer Symptoms – Squamous Cell Carcinoma

1)    These appear as red scaly bumps on the affected area of the skin

2)    They can be distinguished from other different types of skin cancer by slight protrudes in the central area of the bump or wart.

3)    The outline of these bumps is usually wrinkled and may also appear in the form of irregular crusts.

4)    The lesions caused due to squamous cell carcinoma may sometimes bleed.

Melanoma

As the name itself suggests, melanoma occurs when the melanocytes turn cancerous. The reason why we all have different skin tones is that the melanocytes present in the bottom layer of the epidermis produce a pigment called melanin whenever our skin is exposed to sunlight. In some people, this pigment is produced in excess amounts which is why their skin tone appears darker than that of other people.

Melanoma is the most dreadful of all the other types of skin cancer and the main reason behind the occurrence of melanoma is a constant exposure of the skin to the sunlight.

When your skin is excessively exposed to sunlight, your melanocytes produce the melanin content in excess amounts which leaves behind a dark coloured patch on the skin. These patches may sometimes be misinterpreted as moles which is why it is very essential to check whether you are being exposed to sunlight and keep a check on any dark coloured patches that appear on your skin.

Melanoma is definitely not a commonly occurring type of skin cancer but it is the most dangerous of all the other types.

Skin Cancer Symptoms – Melanoma

1)    Unusual darkening of the skin

2)    A sudden appearance of a mole which is characterised by an irregular border.

3)    A constant Itchiness and pain in the affected area

4)    The dark patched areas can also appear tender and bleed

5)    A clear observation and a proper diagnosis are essentially required for identifying whether the bump is a mole or a dangerous skin patch caused due to melanoma.

Stages Of Skin Cancer

Out of all the types of skin cancers, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are not identified by stages because they do not usually spread to other parts of the body. However, squamous cell carcinoma can very rarely spread to other internal organs.

Different stages of skin cancer can be identified by stage 0, stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, stage 4 and stage 5.

Stage – 0 – You can consider yourself very lucky if your cancer has been identified at stage zero because the cancerous cells during this stage can be eradicated by performing surgical operations.

The affected cells are confined only to the region of the epidermis and have not spread to other parts of your body.

Stage – 1 – In stage 1, the cells have invaded into the deeper parts of your skin but you need not panic much because they have not invaded into your lymph nodes or other organs of your body. Doctors usually prefer to remove these cells with the help of surgery.

Stage -2 – You need not worry much in stage two of cancer, because the in stage two, the tumours have invaded into much deeper parts but have still not entered into the lymph nodes or other organs of your body. The disease is still curable.

Stage – 3 – Stage 3 of skin cancer can be identified by the spread of the tumours to lymph nodes and other organs of the body. While diagnosis and a successful treatment can still be performed in such case, it is quite difficult to eradicate the tumours as they have spread to other organs of the body.

Stage – 4 – The final stage of cancer is not impossible but extremely difficult to be treated as the tumours have spread to other organs of the body like liver, brain and other vital organs.

Recurrent Basal Cell Carcinoma

Basal cell carcinoma which is the most commonly occurring carcinoma has the highest possibility of relapse. Almost forty to fifty per cent of patients who have been affected by basal cell carcinoma experience the relapse of this disease.

Therefore, it is very much essential for you to identify the occurrence of the symptoms at the same spot where the skin has been affected.

Cancer Diet – A Guide To Sustaining Your Physical Strength

Battling cancer can really seem like the toughest phase of your life. While it is essential for you to stay mentally strong and keep up your faith, you will also need to keep up your physical health as the continuous chemotherapy sessions can weaken your body as well as your immune system.

Cancer Diet To Be Followed

High Protein Rich Foods

Dairy products like milk, cheese, butter, eggs, meat products like turkey, beef, chicken, lamb, fish are good sources of proteins.

If you do not have a habit of consuming meat, you can add peanuts, legumes, cereals and beans to your cancer diet to compensate for the intake of proteins.

Fruits That Have To Be A Part Of The Cancer Diet

Vitamin C Rich Foods – Oranges, lemons, grapes to boost your immune system

Fibre-Rich Fruits – Raspberries, apples, bananas, guavas, mangoes, peaches figs and kiwis to help in easy digestion.

Fruits With High Water Content – Watermelons, pineapples, cantaloupes, strawberries to help you stay hydrated.

All Kinds Of Leafy Greens 

There is nothing better than including leafy greens in your diet because they provide you with required amounts of vitamins like Vitamins A, C, E, K, B12 and folic acid. Apart from this, they are rich in iron, calcium and fibre which makes it the best reason for you to include leafy greens in your diet.

You have to make sure that you include any one of the following leafy greens as a part of your regular diet.

• Romaine lettuce
• Swiss chard
• Mustard greens
• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Kale
• Cabbage

Food Sources Of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates can instantly boost your energy levels and aid in an easy digestion which is the major reason why you must include the following carbohydrate-rich foods in your diet.

1)    Brown rice

2)    Oatmeal

3)    Sweet potatoes

4)    Lentils

5)    Quinoa

6)    Chickpeas

7)    Brown bread

8)    White bread

Skin Cancer Prevention

1)    One of the most common causes of cancer being sunlight, you must take necessary precautions to protect yourself from the exposure of sunlight by using a head cap or a muffler.

2)    You can wear the clothes that completely cover your arms and legs to protect the skin from being exposed to ultraviolet radiations.

3)    Avoid using tanning beds or sunbeds as these emit UV rays which can damage your skin cells and cause severe skin cancer symptoms.

4)    Guard and protect your skin with sunscreens to avoid sunburns. It is much recommended to use those sunscreen lotions that are labelled as SPF.

5)    Make sure that your skin remains hydrated and healthy by drinking required amounts of water.

Since the effect of ultraviolet rays on the human beings is increasing day by day because of the depletion of ozone layer, you can fulfil your part of contributing to the reduction of those electrical appliances which emits chlorofluorocarbons.

But How Can You Reduce The Emission Of Chlorofluorocarbons?

1)    Ensure that you dispose of your old refrigerators and other electrical appliances through a safe disposal method. There are various services that help in the safe disposal.

2)    Good news is that there are CFC free air conditioners and CFC free refrigerators being manufactured and sold for the purpose of avoiding ozone depletion.

3)    Encourage the companies to use CFC free production technologies as a part of preventing the ozone layer protection.

4)    If you own a business or a manufacturing industry, you can use those production technologies that are CFC free.

5)    Bring the awareness of how skin cancer is hugely impacted by the depletion of ozone layer and the necessary measures that have to be taken to reduce the emission of chlorofluorocarbons.