| ther day, I was taken by the hair coloring of a | | | | types of skin cancer, Melanoma is “the |
| clerk at the local store. I commented on how | | | | rarest and the most virulent….” It is |
| beautiful it was, with the dark base and the | | | | typically found in people with fair skin, light hair, |
| natural-looking streaks, as if the sun had touched | | | | and/or light eyes, though it is possible in others |
| her alone; and we began a conversation of how | | | | with different complexions, and as the experts |
| when we were younger we would not have to | | | | above also assert, does not exempt those with |
| use any hair dyes: we just sprayed SunIn on our | | | | dark brown or black skin. Identifiable symptoms |
| hair and laid out in the sun for an hour or two. | | | | contain, mostcommonly, a mole changing color, |
| This of course led us to discussing the near | | | | size, shape, or state (starts oozing or bleeding), or |
| impossibility of doing that now, as we have | | | | a mole that UMM notes “feels itchy, hard, |
| blasted the ozone layer(s) so hard we have | | | | lumpy, swollen, or tender to the touch.” |
| created a direct line between us and the harsher | | | | Squamous Cell Carcinoma—Also called |
| (more deadly) rays of the sun (and no, SunIn is a | | | | non-melanoma skin cancer, Squamous Cell |
| pump spray, not an aerosol, so we didn’t | | | | Carcinoma usually begins as a red-looking, scaly |
| have to go there with culpability and irony and all). | | | | patch or patches of skin, or can appear as |
| But you probably didn’t come here to | | | | nodules. Of the three types of skin cancer, |
| read about hair coloring techniques that are | | | | Squamous, affecting Caucasians, usually |
| sun-free or chemical free, for that matter | | | | fair-complected, is the second most common and |
| …at least not specifically. You came looking | | | | shows up, typically, on the ears (ear-rims), face, |
| for information on the different types of skin | | | | lips, and mouth. |
| cancer. The speculation and theory does hold | | | | Basal Cell Carcinoma – The second of the |
| some proof against chemicals | | | | types of skin cancer, Basal Cell Cancer, typically |
| in—ahem—health and beauty | | | | starts as a “small, fleshy bump or |
| products; and it does point to the sun’s | | | | nodule,” most commonly found on the |
| “damaging rays” as a possible | | | | head, neck, and/or hands. Of the three types of |
| cause, etc., but here, since we aren’t | | | | skin cancer, Basal Cell Carcinoma, which is typically |
| medical professionals, specialist, or experts, the | | | | found in Caucasians, say those at UMM, make up |
| info on the types of skin cancer is going to be | | | | “more than 90 percent in the U.S.. |
| basic and absent of finger-pointing, if you will: | | | | My mother had the second most common of the |
| There are three types of skin cancer: Basal Cell | | | | types of skin cancer, on her lip, and while we at |
| Carcinoma (a.k.a. non-melanoma skin cancer); | | | | first teased her that it was herpes, she was |
| Squamous Cell Carcinoma; and Melanoma. | | | | smart enough to know it was a “sun |
| Melanoma (also, Cutaneous Melanoma, Malignant | | | | blister” and quick enough to catch it by |
| Melanoma) – Cancer cells are growing in | | | | going to a specialist. That’s the good |
| the melanocytes, the cells that are responsible for | | | | news, to give you hope when you bemoan the |
| skin pigmentation. According to University of | | | | loss of days picnicking, swimming, and |
| Maryland medicine and other experts, of all of the | | | | “bathing” under the wonderful sun. |