Watch Out! Those Simple Spots on Your Skin Could Kill You

The skin is the largest organ of the body and for our overall health, it is important to ensure that it remains in good health. In the last few decades various cancers of the skin have been on the rise which has become a point of concern for medical professionals worldwide. A simple spot on your skin could be the very first sign of skin cancer and thus it is helpful to be armed with knowledge about this subject.

Types of skin cancer
Skin cancers are primarily categorized into one of three types:

1. Basal Cell Carcinoma
2. Melanoma
3. Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Although the types of cancer are different, they have similar symptoms that you can look out for. Analyzing your skin spots or lesions for tell tale signs can tell you whether it needs to be checked out by a doctor or not. Let's look at some of them:

• The shades or colors of the patch: Cancerous skin cells will have various colors on them and may be pink or white in certain areas while being brown or black in other areas.
• The spot or lesion will always be changing: If the spot or growth on your skin is cancerous it will constantly change size shape or form as well as color.
• Almost always asymmetrical shape: Cancerous growth on your skin will tend to be irregular in shape and one side of it will not be similar to the other.
• The shape or borders of the spot: If the lesion or spot on your skin is jagged, quite irregular in shape or the sides are blurred then this may be a sign of a cancerous growth.
• Tenderness of the spots or the lesions: These spots can be painful, tender, itchy and also have redness in the area surrounding it. It could even be oozing or bleeding although this depends from patient to patient.
• Horn like growths: Certain form of skin spots or lesions will grow into small horn like growth on the skin and feel like nails. This is due to the excess presence of keratin which is found in nails and may be an indicator for skin cancer.
• Moles that change shape, size or color: If you have developed a mole and it keeps changing its color, size and edges it could be clear sign of melanoma. In such cases it is best to get it checked by your doctor.

Skin cancers are easily treatable if diagnosed early and have a high chance of being cured, but it is also important for you to self diagnose any spots or areas of concern so that you can take appropriate action in time.