Skin Cancer
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Cancerous skin lesions can develop slowly or suddenly. Not all skin changes are cancerous. The only way to know for sure is to have your skin examined by your doctor or dermatologist. If you find any of the signs and/or symptoms, you should make an appointment with your healthcare provider.

Pay particular attention to:

- Suspicious moles and/or lesions
- A sore that does not heal.
- A change in the size and/or color of a mole or new growth.
- Skin that is scaly, bleeding, crusty or shows the change in a bump or nodule.

Risk Factors
Although skin cancer risk factors may vary, the most common are:

- Having a fair complexion.
- Personal History/Family history of skin cancer.
- A history of severe sunburns as a child.
- Skin that burns or freckles easily from the sun.
- A large number of atypical (abnormal) or multiple moles.
- Unprotected/excessive exposure to UVA and/or UVB rays.
- Having scars or burns on the skin.
- Having chronic skin inflammation or skin ulcers.
- Immunocompromised people, such as HIV/AIDS, people receiving immunosuppressive drugs after an organ transplant or those undergoing chemotherapy, have an increased risk of skin cancer.

Diagnosing Skin Cancer
After nonmelanoma skin cancer has been diagnosed, tests are done to find out if cancer cells have spread within the skin or to other parts of the body.

Options usually depend on the stage/type of cancer, the size and location and the person’s health. Your healthcare provider will examine your skin to diagnose nonmelanoma skin cancer and actinic keratosis. If necessary, a biopsy of the abnormal-looking growth will be excised (cut) from the skin and examined to see if cancer cells are present.

How to protect yourself
The best way for someone to prevent skin cancer is to protect yourself from the sun.

- Seek shade between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when UV rays are strongest.
- Cover up with clothing to protect exposed skin. Slip on a shirt: Cover up with protective clothing to guard as much skin as possible when you are out in the sun. Choose comfortable clothes made of tightly woven fabrics that you cannot see through when held up to a light.
- Grab your favorite Abercrombie cap to shade your face.
- Wear sunglasses that wrap around and block 100% of both UVA and UVB rays.
- Use a sunscreen with sun protective factor (SPF) 15 or higher year-round to help protect your skin from sunburn.
- Protect your lips with sun block, using a minimum Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15.
- Avoid using a tanning bed, since it increases your exposure to UVA rays, increasing your risk of developing melanoma and other skin cancers.

http://www.skincancer.org/ - Skin Cancer Foundation

http://www.aad.org/ - American Academy of Dermatology.

© Jennifer Medvin is a perioperative registered nurse at a level II trauma hospital in Southern California.