How to Detect Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is the most common form of human cancer. The rates are increasing every year, and it is a growing concern for the common public. It is also been observed that nearly half of all Americans above the age of sixty five will develop skin cancer at least once. Those types of odds are very frightening, and your best defense against the advancement of skin cancer is prevention and detecting any change in appearance on the skin. This article will discuss the different forms of cancer, as well as how to detect cancers before they advance.

There are three basic types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. Most cases of skin cancer in America are either basal or squamous cell carcinomas. These skin cancers tend to develop later in life on areas of skin that have been exposed repeatedly to the sun, areas such as the face, neck, hands, or legs. Again, half of the individuals over the age of 65 will develop some sort of cancer, and most of the time it can be diagnosed as squamous or basal cell carcinoma. These types develop and progress slowly, and they rarely cause death because they do not spread. They are easily removable and the chances of beating it are very high.

Malignant melanomas are a different breed. Though they only account for five percent of all skin cancers, it is by far the most serious form because it tends to metastasize and spread throughout the body. This type is most likely to be fatal, and unlike the other nonmelanoma cancers it occurs earlier in life and progresses rather rapidly. They also may develop on almost any part of the body and require much treatment.