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Author:
Jonathon Hardcastle

Skin cancer is one of the most prevalent forms of cancer in the world. It strikes any age group, and can be deadly if not treated directly. To that end, it's important to regularly perform self-examinations to ensure that you spot any problems early. In this article, we'll discuss exactly what you need to do to properly examine yourself for skin cancer.

While examining yourself for skin cancer can be scary, it is a necessary procedure to perform considering that a full 1 in 5 people can be expected to contract some form of skin cancer throughout their lifetime. Doctors recommend that you check yourself for skin cancer monthly to ensure that you spot any problems early on. To check yourself for skin cancer, you need to have a few mirrors so that you can accurately see all parts of your body. The entire surface area of the body needs to be checked for skin cancer, as it can appear anywhere. First, examine your head and your face, as well as your scalp, in the mirror. Gradually work your way down your body, ensuring that you're checking everywhere - commonly missed spots include underneath the breasts, and parts of the back and buttocks. Also be sure to check the genital areas as well as every part of the feet, including the webbing between toes.

The main thing to look for when performing a self-examination for skin cancer is the appearance of irregular moles. Malformed moles can result in malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. If you're looking on your body and you find that a mole is asymmetrical, with one side of the mole appearing different than the other side, you may want to consult a doctor. Also, most moles complete their growth before age twenty. If a mole on your body begins growing past age twenty, you should also speak to a doctor. Check for irregularities on the borders of the mole; they should be well-defined and should be uniform in growth. Also, moles that change color to a dark black, red, or even white represent a significant risk for a problem. Since early diagnosis is the key to surviving skin cancer, if you spot anything that you feel might be a problem, discuss it with your doctor immediately. Your health is your responsibility, and a little caution can result in catching the problem early enough to stop it.

About the Author :

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including health, Nutrition, and Beauty


Article Source: www.iSnare.com

| Article Keywords: Skin Cancer

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Skin Cancer... Skin Cancer and US Politicians Former President Clinton had a basal cell skin cancer removed from his back while he was in office, attracting national press attention to this common form of cancer. There are three main types of skin cancers. President Clinton did not have a melanoma, a skin cancer that starts in moles and can spread rapidly through your body and kill you. Moles that have irregular borders and multiple colors should be removed to be checked for melanoma. Moles that have smooth circular borders and are of one color are almost never melanoma cancers. President Clinton did not have the second type of skin cancer called squamous cell cancer. The can occasionally spread through the body and kill you. He did have a basal cell skin cancer that rarely spreads through the body and can be cured just by taking out 100% of the lesion. They are called cancers because they keep on growing through everything around them until they are completely removed. Basal cell skin cancers fall apart and feel like marshmallows when they are scraped. All a doctor has to do to cure it is to inject an anaesthetic into the lesion, scrape the basal cell cancer until he feels the hard resistance of normal skin. Then burn an area of normal skin around the lesion to guarantee the removal of the entire cancer. You can suspect that you have a basal cell skin cancer when you develop a red scaly area on the surface of a light-exposed area of skin. That is probably an actinic keratosis that can often be removed just by applying a special cream. However, if you leave the red area in place, it can go deeper and became a skin cancer. You can suspect that the actinic keratosis has gone deeper when the surface feels rough like sandpaper. If you let it grow further, it can become an elevated area with a fine pearly border. ...