| Skin cancer, a disease in which cells lose the ability | | | | of the chest, the face, the neck, and the upper |
| to grow in normal healthy ways, is a rising | | | | back. Remember that only a doctor can tell if a |
| concern for many people. Every year, 1.3 million | | | | skin growth is benign or cancerous. |
| American people are diagnosed with some kind of | | | | Something that's important to know while you're |
| skin cancer, and almost half of everyone in the | | | | looking for the first signs of skin cancer is how to |
| country will have had some form of skin cancer | | | | do a self-examination and see if there is anything |
| by the time they are 65. It seems like a bleak | | | | that you need to ask your doctor about. You can |
| picture, but the good news is that modern | | | | give yourself a regular check-over for any new |
| medical technology can cure almost every known | | | | growths or to monitor if one might be changing, |
| form of skin cancer as long as it is detected early | | | | to look for sores or moles. In particular, you want |
| and given the proper treatment, which means | | | | to look for signs of melanoma, the most |
| that knowing the first signs of skin cancer and | | | | malignant and dangerous forms of cancer. To look |
| being aware of the symptoms can save millions | | | | for melanoma, you want to look for things like |
| from this disease. | | | | the growth being asymmetrical, where one side |
| Skin cancer often takes the form of a sore or a | | | | has a different shape than the other. When the |
| pimple that won't heal, typically appearing as an | | | | growth has scalloped or uneven edges or has |
| abnormal growth on the skin. The first sign of | | | | more than one color is another sign of a possible |
| skin cancer is if these sores or growths either | | | | melanoma, they may be black, have colored |
| appear out of nowhere, or significantly alter their | | | | specks in them, or be shades of brown. Also, if |
| shape. They might also ooze fluid or crust and | | | | the size measured edge to edge is bigger than a |
| scab over, and will simply not heal over or reduce | | | | pencil eraser on a new growth, it could be a |
| in size, regardless of over-the-counter treatment. | | | | melanoma. |
| The growths might change in size or color, | | | | Skin cancer can be a frightening thing, however it |
| marking them as an area for concern, you should | | | | is almost always extremely treatable and can be |
| tell your doctor anytime that you develop a new | | | | cured with a minimum of damage to the body if |
| growth on the skin, or a mole, sore, or other | | | | it is discovered early enough. Doctors and medical |
| spot on the skin significantly changes in size or | | | | associations constantly stress the importance of |
| shape. The outward signs of skin cancer usually | | | | knowing the first signs of skin cancer and being |
| appear on parts of the body that are most often | | | | able to check yourself for melanomas, and now, |
| exposed to the sun, such as the v-shaped area | | | | you can. |