Cancer Reconstruction
Skin Cancer Information
Warning Signs
- Changes in color, especially dark shades of brown
- Sudden changes in size and fast growth
- Raised area above surrounding skin
- Itching or pain
- Redness, swelling, pigmentation change
- Scaliness, crusting, bleeding
Risk Factors
- How close you live to the equator
- Ultraviolet rays
- Fair skin
- Red or blonde hair
- Blue, green, or gray eyes
- Family history of skin cancers
- Workplace exposure to cancer causing substances
- Age
- Race! Caution - dark skinned people do develop cancer on light areas of skin
How To Prevent Skin Cancer
- DON'T expose your skin to sun between 10am-3pm
- DON'T expose your skin while using Retin A or other peel products
- DON'T use tanning booths
- DON'T be fooled by cloudy days
- DON'T use reflectors to increase tan
- DON'T tan for more than twenty minutes a day
- DO protect your eyes and lips
- DO use sunscreen of SPF 15 or higher
| The Bare Facts About Skin Cancer | ||
| Precancerous Lesions | ||
| Type of Lesion | What to Look For | What To Do |
| Actinic Keratosis | Red, rough patches | Watch area |
| Raised area | Efudex; if questions biopsy | |
| Cancerous Lesions | ||
| Type of Lesion | What to Look For | What To Do |
| Basal Cell Carcinoma | Red and Flat | Biopsy |
| Pearly | Excision | |
| Raised | Watch area closely | |
| Looks like a scar | Efudex | |
| Slow growth | ||
| Usually on face or neck | ||
| Bleeds easily | ||
| Squamous Cell | Red scaly patches | Biopsy |
| Fast growth | Excision | |
| mosty on face, neck, hands | ||
| Melanoma | Brown spots on skin | Biopsy |
| Moles | Excision | |
| Females:on back and legs | ||
| Males:on back | ||
| Can appear anywhere on body | ||
