Skin Cancer Prevention Information

Each year, more than one million people in the United States are diagnosed with skin cancer. Most often caused from overexposure to ultraviolet rays (UV Rays), more and more Americans are dismissing warnings to know how to properly care for their skin. Trading sunblocks and sunscreens for tanning naturally from the sun, or artificially from a tanning salon, seems to be popular among people of all ages. When sporting a bronzed body year round takes precedence over maintaining the health of our skin, it's no wonder that skin cancer is the most diagnosed form each year.

There are 3 basic types of skin cancer. The most common forms are basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Basal cell carcinoma grows very slowly and rarely metastasizes, or spreads. Squamous cell carcinoma can metastasize, but rarely goes further than the epidermis of the skin. Melanoma skin cancer is a less common occurrence than the other 2 types of skin cancer, but if not caught early on it can be more deadly. This form of skin cancer begins in the melanocytes, or cells which produce the brown pigment in the skin, called melanin.