Prevent Yourself From Being a Source of Skin Cancer Pictures

Skin cancer is a very prevalent condition, especially among fair-skinned people like the Caucasians. If you scan the skin cancer, skin cancer pictures, basal cell carcinoma internet for skin cancer pictures, you will surely be scared and will be looking up ways on how to prevent getting the condition. In this article, I will be talking about the basics of skin cancer and some preventive methods which one can employ to protect themselves from the harmful effects of the sun.

Skin cancer is considered as a collective term for three cancer conditions: melanoma, basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma. It is one of the most common types of cancer that is found among humans, and it has been estimated that a million get diagnosed of this disease yearly.

Among the three mentioned above, 90% of skin cancer patients have basal cell carcinoma. Basal cell carcinoma is caused by exposure to UV rays that come from the sun and tanning booths. There are tanning booths that are already UV-ray free, but still a lot of these machines make use of UV rays to give you that naturally tanned look.

When looking at skin cancer pictures, basal cell carcinoma will come out like a small bump in the skin with visible blood vessels. It is shiny in appearance and might come out looking like a mole. Actually, in order to diagnose basal cell carcinoma, a biopsy has to be done.

Having fair skin is a big risk factor when it comes to the progression of squamous cell carcinoma. The love for sunbathing and having fair skin is a dangerous combination when it comes to the development of this condition. Squamous cell carcinoma also differs from basal cell carcinoma in a way that squamous cell carcinoma can metastasize to other areas of the body.

Of the three, melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer. A lot of deaths have been attributed to melanoma, as compared to those of basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma. With melanoma, you will have to observe for the development of new moles or a change in the size and shape of an old mole. If this happens, consult your doctor immediately.

So, how do you protect yourself from the development of skin cancer? One great tip would be to avoid the sun. However, we all know that avoiding the sun is impossible. The next best thing that we can do then is to protect ourselves from the sun. To protect your skin, you can make use of umbrellas, light jackets or sweaters, long sleeved shirts and the like.

If you are a sun worshipper, you should always have a good sunblock with you and you should know which hours of the day to avoid the sun. Now, a lot of issues circulate over which SPF amount is best for sun protection. Actually, you have to have a sunblock that has SPF 15 or greater in order to adequately protect yourself. You also would have to reapply it from time to time to reinforce the protection. You also have to avoid the sun during the hours of 11am to 4pm. However, with today’s climate change, even the 9am sun is already painful.

Getting skin cancer is no joke. You may not realize it now because you are young, but UV rays accumulate over time, and you should therefore limit your sun exposure to the bare minimum. And never forget to bring with you your trusty sunblock.