The rapid growth of the indoor tanning industry has led to a rise in skin cancer among young Americans. According to a recent study, incidents of melanoma skin cancer have increased 2. 2 percent among young women since 1992, the year tanning salons were introduced.
Young women, who make up 71 percent of indoor tanning enthusiasts are affected the most by melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
Skin cancer is also the most common form of cancer for Americans ages 25-29, an age group with traditionally very low cancer rates.
Melanoma makes up three percent of all skin cancers. It is characterized by a flat, brown or black mole that has uneven edges. Melanomas usually have an irregular shape and can be found anywhere on the body. Unlike a normal mole, a melanoma can change color, be lumpy or rounded, and become crusty, ooze or bleed.
Melanomas can be prevented by trying to stay out of the sun during the middle of the day, wearing protective clothes when out in the sun, using sunscreen, especially those with a higher SPF at higher elevations and avoiding tanning salons.
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common form of nonmelanoma skin cancer. It is the least likely to spread and the easiest to treat. Although basal cell carcinoma is usually not fatal, it can cause considerable damage to surrounding bones and tissue if it is not removed. If you have had basal cell carcinoma in the past, you have a high chance of developing another within five years.
Most basal cell carcinoma, as with most types of skin cancer, is caused by frequent, ongoing exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight. As a result, it usually develops on parts of the body that are exposed to the sun the most, such as the neck and head. However, they may also occur on parts of the body that rarely get exposed to the sun.
Risk factors include: chronic sun exposure (especially if most exposure occurred before the age of 18), fair skin that freckles or sunburns easily, age (80% of basal cell carcinomas occur in people over the age of 50), a personal or family history of skin cancer, and taking immune-suppressing drugs, especially after transplant surgery.
In general, skin cancer looks a score that repeatedly bleeds and scabs over, and will not heal. However, basal cell carcinomas have some distinct features. They may take on the form of a pearly white or waxy bump, often with visible blood vessels on your face, neck or ears, or a flat, scaly, brown or flesh-colored patch on your back or chest. This patch will grow up to 4-6 inches over time. Rarely, basal skin carcinoma may look like a white, waxy scar. This symptom is easy to overlook, but it may be a sign of an invasive and disfiguring cancer called morpheaform basal cell carcinoma. It is important to see a doctor or dermatologist if you experience any of these symptoms.
Treatment includes removal of the cancer. You will be awake, your skin will be numbed and the doctor will cut out the cancer. Afterwards, frequent checkups will be extremely important in order to check for reoccurrence of the cancer.
While researchers continue to pursue and develop new treatment systems for cancer, they all seem to always hit a road block, but one pharmaceutical company may have the answer. According to Reuters, an experimental cancer pill made by Roche’s Genentech shrank tumors in patients whose skin cancer had spread, raising hope for a new class of drugs that may have an effect on many other cancers as well. Roche’s Genentech could have a potential treatment that may surpass those which failed in the past.
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It is summer time, and everyone is doing their best to refine their tans by taking every opportunity to absorb as much sun as possible. With the beauty of a glowing tan, always comes the concern of skin cancer. The solution, doesn’t exist although many rely on the minimal protection offered by sun screen. A recent Fox News article however discussed the potential of a new green tea herbal spray that may protect against skin cancer.
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