Cancer: It can happen to anyone

Many lives have been wasted because of cancer. Cancer is said to be one of the oldest ailment that had affected humanity but still immunity cannot be found for it. Cancer then is of manifold types and as numerous as the number of organs we have ad such does not exclude the largest organ we have, which is our skin.

On the other hand, moles, skin, hair follicles, and hairs are part of what we call as the integumentary system. It’s the largest system of our body and one that’s superficial. It covers our body from head-to-toe and serves as our first-line of defense, and if once damaged, it predisposes us to infections and other diseases. That’s how important our skin is.

Skin cancer or melanoma in the medical term is one type of cancer that is most common cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. And if you think you’re invincible with it, then you are wronged because no one ever does.

Although, development of skin cancer is greatly attributable to heredity or our defective genes, its development can also be precipitated with many factors which is primarily caused by unprotected overexposure to the UV rays of the sun. Such then is the one that is the most common cause of it and what makes it preventable among the other types of cancer.

Moreover, if we talk about skin cancer, we cannot take the issue away with what we commonly heard about what causes it or how does it started, the cancerous moles. These are moles which show to have suspicious growths and borders. The rule of the thumb best helps in deciphering these moles. Moreover, these occur to any parts of the body and thus, we must be cautious about from our heads to toes.

Prevention is Better than Cure

Furthermore, with any types of cancer, prevention is always better than cure wherein cure may even be impossible especially at its late stage. Skin cancer or melanoma on the other hand, like other cancers only has one effective treatment, which is none other than early detection and prompt treatment.

Melanoma symptoms can be as obvious as a map around your body but can also be as hidden as secret spot that can only be discovered once it had worsen. Therefore, checking your skin from time to time is the key. The A-B-C-D-E of skin cancer then is a good way to detect irregularities in your skin.

A – Asymmetry (irregular growth of a mole)
B- Borders (uneven edges)
C – Color changes
D – Diameter (rule of thumb)
E – Evolving (worsening symptoms like bleeding or discharges)

We must always remember that with cancer, we have no excuses. According to many studies, cancer cells are actually present within us even from the start which only waits for opportunities for them to be activated and which most commonly happens when we are at our lowest immunity and usually at gradual and undetectable rate.