Types Of Skin Cancer Include
Basal Cell Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, and Melanoma
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.
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