Skin Cancer: Overview

Of all the types of cancer known to humankind today, skin cancer is among the most common. Skin cancer affects everyone, no matter skin type, tone, or related.

What is skin cancer? Skin cancer forms when cells grow irregularly in the epidermis. There are three layers that make up the skin, the epidermis, the dermis, and the hypodermis. The epidermis is the outermost layer of all three. The epidermis is the visible layer. The epidermis provides physical protection for one’s body, it produces new skin cells, and it also produces melanin which gives us the color of our skin, and it provides immune protection for our body.

Main Causes of Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is caused by constant exposure to the sun's harmful Ultraviolet (UV) rays. Skin cancer develops mostly on skin that is exposed to the sun’s UV rays. Sometimes, skin cancer can also form in areas that are not commonly exposed to sunlight. Skin cancer can form on one’s scalp, face, lips, ears, neck, chest, arms, hands, and even on the legs for women. It can also form on areas that are not exposed to sunlight such as one’s palms, beneath one’s fingernails or toenails, and one’s genital area.

Types of Skin Cancer

There are four main types of skin cancer: Basal cell carcinoma, Squamous cell carcinoma, Melanoma, and lastly, Merkel cell carcinoma. These four types of cancer only differ in appearance, yet they are all types of skin cancer.

1. Basal Cell Carcinoma

Basal cell carcinoma usually forms in areas that are exposed to sunlight such as one’s neck and face. A basal cell carcinoma is a bump that is shiny, a sore that heals and returns, and a flat scar that is skin-colored.

2. Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Squamous cell carcinomas usually form in areas that are exposed to sunlight, such as one's hands, ears, and face. If one has darker skin, a squamous cell carcinoma is more likely to form in places that are not exposed to sunlight. Squamous Cell Carcinomas are usually benign, despite being harmless, squamous cell carcinomas can be aggressive too. If they spread to other parts of the body or grow very big, they could cause some serious complications. (“Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Skin - Symptoms and Causes”) A squamous cell carcinoma looks like a red, small rounded lump, or a flat wound with a rough, crusty surface.

3. Melanoma

In both men and women, melanomas can form anywhere, whether the area is exposed to sunlight or not. Melanoma can occur on normal skin, or it can take a normal mole and make it cancerous. A melanoma usually forms on the face or trunk of men, and the lower legs of women. The Mayo Clinic explains that “In people with darker skin tones, melanoma tends to occur on the palms or soles, or under the fingernails or toenails” (“Skin Cancer - Symptoms and Causes”). A melanoma looks like a giant mole with dark spots inside of it, it is also a mole that bleeds, a wound that itches, burns, or causes pain, a mole that has changed in size, color, or texture.

4. Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Merkel cell carcinomas are a less common type of skin cancer. A Merkel cell carcinoma forms underneath the skin in the hair follicles. Merkel cell carcinomas will most likely occur in the head, neck, and trunk. A Merkel cell carcinoma looks like a solid, shiny rounded lump.

Causes

Too much exposure to UV rays causes damage to the DNA on one’s skin. Doctor Ariel Ostad, a famous dermatologist explains that “Skin cancer develops when mutations occur in the DNA of skin cells” (“Ariel Ostad MD PC”). These mutations cause skin cells to grow out of control and form a cancerous mass on the skin (“Skin Cancer - Symptoms and Causes”). The overexposure to UV rays doesn’t explain skin cancers that form in other parts of the body that are not exposed to UV rays. Other parts of the body that are not exposed to UV rays are usually formed because of “Other factors [that] may contribute to [the] risk of skin cancer, [is] being exposed to toxic substances or having a condition that weakens [one’s] immune system” (“Skin Cancer - Symptoms and Causes”).

Benign and Malignant Tumors

A tumor that is malignant means that it is cancerous and dangerous. A benign tumor is a tumor that is harmless. Benign tumors are not as harmful as “benign tumors grow only in one place. They cannot spread or invade other parts of one’s body. Even so, they can be dangerous if they press on vital organs, such as one’s brain” (“Benign Tumors”). Malignant tumors are the ones that can actually spread around the body. Tumors are made up of cells, old cells die and new cells replace them. When old cells don’t die and new cells keep forming, the new cells can divide without stopping, creating tumors. To treat benign tumors, treatment includes surgery, most of the time, since benign tumors do not grow back.

Protection

There are many ways to prevent the risk of skin cancer. Since skin cancer is caused by UV rays, try to stay out of the sun as much as possible, do not get sunburnt, and do not use tanning beds because tanning beds use UV rays. Use sunscreen every day with SPF 15 or higher. SPF 15 means your skin will be 15 times more protected than without sunscreen. By following these guidelines, one can successfully decrease the risk of getting skin cancer.

References

News-Medical. “What Is the Epidermis?” News-Medical.net, 30 Nov. 2016, www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-the-Epidermis.aspx. Accessed 1 Nov. 2021.

“Skin Cancer.” Uhc.com, 2021, www.uhc.com/health-and-wellness/health-topics/cancer/skin-cancer. Accessed 15 Nov. 2021.

“Skin Cancer - Symptoms and Causes.” Mayo Clinic, 2020, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/skin-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20377605. Accessed 10 Nov. 2021.

“Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Skin - Symptoms and Causes.” Mayo Clinic, 2021, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/squamous-cell-carcinoma/symptoms-causes/syc-20352480. Accessed 13 Nov. 2021.