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The mere mention of the word cancer is enough to make anyone hyperventilate. There are, of course, different types of cancer. In this article, we take a look at skin cancer. You wake up one morning and your shoulder is sore and there is a drop of blood on your pillow. You look in the mirror and see a blemish oozing. The diagnosis is skin cancer. What are your first thoughts? Am I going to die? Is it terminal? Can something that small really be a problem? Just what are we talking about here? Cancer and death, the two words just go together notwithstanding the experiences of Lance Armstrong. Skin cancer is often treatable. More importantly, you could have prevented it. So, just what are we talking about when we say skin cancer? In the most basic terms, it is an unnatural growth in the layers of the skin. The growth typically occurs in the epidermis. As you can probably guess, skin cancer is caused by sun exposure. The exposure can be for short periods that result in burns, but they can also be for exposure over long periods of time. Having a good tan has not been shown to make a difference. As with the term “cancer”, there are actually subcategories of skin cancer. Some are bad and some not so much. When it comes to this type of cancer, there is serious and less serious diagnosis. Malignant melanoma is the worst. It is fatal if not treated early, but is the rarest form diagnosed. Strange as it may sound, the second sub-cancer can be hereditary. It is basal cell. It is also the most frequently diagnosed skin cancer. The good news is it is rarely fatal and can be treated. Our final sub-category of skin cancer is Squamous cell. It falls somewhere between the previous two. It is diagnosed less than basal, but more than melanoma. It can even have a hereditary element. If treated early, it is curable. If not, it can be fatal. Any cancer diagnosis is obviously a bad thing. The ironic and sad fact of skin cancer is you can reduce your risk to practically zero. You just need to take common sense steps. Picture a warm, sunny day. What are people doing? They are lying out in the sun. They are going on walks. They are doing some landscaping. All of these things put them at risk for skin cancer. The magic cure for skin cancer is sun protection. If you are going to be out in the sun, wear it! That’s it. How hard is that? If you have less hair than you might wish, you should also wear a hat. Take these common sense, easy steps, and you can prevent problems.
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