›› Types Of Skin Cancer
The other day, I was
taken by the hair coloring of a clerk at the local store. I commented
on how beautiful it was, with the dark base and the natural-looking
streaks, as if the sun had touched her alone; and we began a
conversation of how when we were younger we would not have to use any
hair dyes: we just sprayed SunIn on our hair and laid out in the sun
for an hour or two. This of course led us to discussing the
near impossibility of doing that now, as we have blasted the ozone
layer(s) so hard we have created a direct line between us and the
harsher (more deadly) rays of the sun (and no, SunIn is a pump spray,
not an aerosol, so we didn’t have to go there with
culpability and irony and all).
But you probably didn’t come here to read about hair coloring
techniques that are sun-free or chemical free, for that
matter…at least not specifically. You came looking
for information on the different types of skin cancer. The
speculation and theory does hold some evidence against chemicals
in—ahem—health and beauty products; and it does
point to the sun’s “damaging rays” as a
possible cause, etc., but here, since we aren’t medical
professionals, specialist, or experts, the info on the types of skin
cancer is going to be basic and absent of finger-pointing, if you will:
There are three types of skin cancer: Basal Cell Carcinoma (a.k.a.
non-melanoma skin cancer); Squamous Cell Carcinoma; and Melanoma.
Melanoma (also, Cutaneous Melanoma, Malignant Melanoma) –
Cancer cells are growing in the melanocytes, the cells that are
responsible for skin pigmentation. According to University of Maryland
medicine and other experts, of all of the types of skin cancer,
Melanoma is “the rarest and the most
virulent….” It is typically found in
people with fair skin, light hair, and/or light eyes, though it is
possible in others with different complexions, and as the experts above
also assert, does not exempt those with dark brown or black skin.
Identifiable symptoms include, most commonly, a mole changing color,
size, shape, or state (starts oozing or bleeding), or a mole that UMM
notes “feels itchy, hard, lumpy, swollen, or tender to the
touch.”
Squamous Cell Carcinoma—Also called non-melanoma skin cancer,
Squamous Cell Carcinoma usually begins as a red-looking, scaly patch or
patches of skin, or can appear as nodules. Of the three types
of skin cancer, Squamous, affecting Caucasians, usually
fair-complected, is the second most common and shows up, typically, on
the ears (ear-rims), face, lips, and mouth.
Basal Cell Carcinoma – The second of the types of skin
cancer, Basal Cell Cancer, typically starts as a “small,
fleshy bump or nodule,” most commonly found on the head,
neck, and/or hands. Of the three types of skin cancer, Basal Cell
Carcinoma, which is typically found in Caucasians, say those at UMM,
make up “more than 90 percent in the U.S..
My mother had the second most common of the types of skin cancer, on
her lip, and while we at first teased her that it was herpes, she was
smart enough to know it was a “sun blister” and
quick enough to catch it by going to a specialist.
That’s the good news, to give you hope when you bemoan the
loss of days picnicking, swimming, and “bathing”
under the wonderful sun.
››
A Healthy Dose of Good Advice
