Detecting Squamous Cell Skin Cancer

There seems to be more awareness of skin cancer recently. This may be due to a combination of things. Firstly more understanding of the causes of the disease are prompting awareness campaigns on popular media like TV and radio. Also, more people are doing things that put them at risk to the disease. There is also a suggestion that certain changes in the environment might be the cause for the increasing number of people getting skin cancer. This article will cover what is squamous cell carcinoma, one of the three types of the disease.

The early signs of squamous cell carcinoma are a red mark or spot forming on the top of the skin or epidermis. Squamous cell carcinoma is known to spread so the mark may get bigger and develop into an irregular shaped mark of blemish. Eventually the blemish may become scaly or hard. It may develop a lesion and bleed in some cases. If it isn’t treated the carcinoma will spread but normal to surrounding skin cells on the surface of the skin.

Another case of squamous skin cancer is known as Bowen’s disease. This is more common in older people (60 plus in most cases) and more common in women. It will appear as a red rash that is elevated from the surface layer of the skin. As it progresses the affected cells will become scaly and may form lesions.

When the carcinoma gets bad they can look like an open ulcer and can weep blood fairly regularly requiring constant dabbing or putting some cream on the sore. The disease can happen all over the body but it is more common on areas of the body exposed to sunlight., particular the face, neck and ears.

People soon spot squamous cell skin cancer on the face as they are very conscious of their appearance. In these cases it is noticed in the early stages and can be treated successfully. Treatment could range from freezing the cancerous cells to excision. It is done in the doctor’s surgery and can be a quick as 30 minutes.

You should strive to prevent the disease ever happening to you rather than having to go through treating it. Although preventative methods are no guarantee against getting the disease they can certainly make a difference. Avoid spending too much time in the sun. Your skin type may also make you more susceptible to sun burn and sensitivity to UV radiation.

If you can’t avoid being in the sun as you work outdoors or much of your leisure time is spent outside then take adequate protection. Wear protective clothing, like a wide brimmed hat (or some kind of head gear) and a shirt preferably long sleeved. also wear eye protection and a sunscreen.

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For more information on the early signs of skin cancer visit http://symptomsofskincancer.net. The site has details of skin cancer on the nose and other issues related to skin cancer.