Skin Cancer Symptoms

How vain are you when it comes to your skin? And how protective are you when it comes to your health?

We, Filipinos cannot deny that we are so vain about our skin, that we are so crazy about how we can make them lightest and fairest as possible. Without us knowing, the color of our skin determines the number of melanin, a protective pigment of our skin that refracts the damaging UV rays of the sun. The darker we are the more melanin we have. Moreover, production of the melanin takes place deep in our skin by the endocrine gland, melanocytes which production is triggered by our exposure to sunlight.

However, what we usually do now is that we ingest or apply products that will inhibit melanin production just to make our skin whiter as it can be. Unknowingly, we are making ourselves predispose to a certain type of cancer, which is one of the most prevalence and fatal type of cancer yet it’s the most preventable one. This cancer is none other than skin cancer or what is medically known as melanoma. Skin cancer is said to be the most predictable type with its known cause and thus it’s preventable. Cancers are hereditary, yes, but skin cancer likely develops with unprotected exposure to the sun thereby prevention involves protection of skin from the sun. In addition, due to its high prevalence, we must also be watchful for skin cancer symptoms.

Prevention and Early Detection

Melanoma symptoms on the other hand, is best checked with A-B-C-D-E changes of our skin, where A stands for asymmetry, which means irregularity of the growth of a mole. B is for border, which at an early stage, melanoma tends to be uneven and the edges may be scalloped or notched. C then stands for color changes which are characterized by having a variety of colors whereas a number of different shades of brown, tan or black could appear. A melanoma may also become red, blue or some other color. It is then another warning signal. D stands for the diameter for melanomas which usually are larger in diameter than the size of the eraser on your pencil (1/4 inch or 6 mm), but they may sometimes be smaller when first detected. Lastly, E stands for evolving or any change — in size, shape, color, elevation, or another trait, or any new symptom such as bleeding, itching or crusting — points to danger. These A-B-C-D-E of skin cancer are amongst the known symptoms that we have to watch out for to combat it.

For all types of cancer, prevention and early detection is the key! It’s always better to be safe than sorry.