The Battle Against All Types Of Skin Cancer

Over the years we've advanced our knowledge of all the forms of skin cancer along with treatments. One of the most common being melanoma but there is actually many other yet more rare forms of skin cancer that can present in many different ways. Here are some of the less common types of skin cancers according to the American Cancer Society.

- Merkel cell carcinoma

- Kaposi sarcoma

- Cutaneous (skin) lymphoma

- Skin adnexal tumors (tumors that start in hair follicles or skin glands)

- Various types of sarcomas

Together, these types account for less than 1% of all skin cancers.
More common types aside from melonoma consist of two major types.

1. Basal cell carcinoma

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC, also called basal cell skin cancer, or just basal cell cancer) is most common other type of skin cancer. This contributes to a vast majority of cases of skin cancers are basal cell carcinomas. These cancers start in the basal cell layer and lower in this blog post will be a diagram, this is the lower part of the epidermis layers. BCCs usually develop on sun-exposed areas and tend to grow at a slower rate and fortunately is very rare for a basal cell cancer to spread to other parts of the body. If left untreated or not removed completely this type of skin cancer can come back in the same place on the skin and is more likely to pop up again even in other areas.

2. Squamous cell carcinoma

This type of skin cancer is much less likely nut can still definitely occur. Making up approximately 2 out of 10 cases these types of cancers start in the surface layer and in the flat cells. SCCs commonly appear on sun-exposed areas of the body such as the face, ears, neck, lips, arms, and backs of the hands. They can also develop in scars or chronic skin sores. Squamous cell cancers can usually be removed completely although they are much more likely than basal cell cancers to grow into deeper layers of skin and spread to other parts of the body.

3. Pre-cancerous and other skin conditions related to squamous cell carcinoma

Actinic keratosis (solar keratosis)

Actinic keratosis, also known as solar keratosis, is a pre-cancerous skin condition caused by too much exposure to the sun. They are usually small rough or scaly spots. People who have them usually develop more than one tend to grow slowly and usually do not cause any symptoms although some might be itchy or sore. They sometimes go away on their own, but they may come back over time. A small percentage of these may turn into squamous cell skin cancer but it can be hard sometimes to tell them apart from true skin cancers, so doctors often recommend treating them. If they are not treated, you and your doctor should check them regularly for changes that might be signs of skin cancer.

With derma Dex we want to be able to give patients the piece of mind with early diagnosis and the separation between several different variations of conditions putting patients first delivering access to treatment plans and preventative knowledge along with informative posts within our website.