Melanoma: The Most Dangerous form Of Skin Cancer

Published on Aug 20th, 2011 under All.By starwin

Any person who does not takes proper care of his skin can easily contract skin cancer. These days’ people do not make much effort to protect their skin. Poor hygiene can make skin vulnerable to damage from the ultraviolet rays emitted from the sun. There can be various characteristics that can make people easily susceptible to skin cancer. Here are some of them:

  • People who have got freckles
  • People with fair skin
  • People whose skin burns easily because of sun damage
  • People with blonde hair
  • People with light eyes that are green, blue or light colored.
  • People who spend most of their time outdoors.
  • People whose family history shows cases of skin cancer

It does not mean that only the people with fairer skin have higher risk of getting skin cancer, even people with darker complexions but the risk is higher among fair skinned people. Because of their fair skin, they can easily contract the most dangerous form of skin cancer called melanoma.

Melanoma cannot be detected easily through tests but it can proliferate very quickly. Melanoma first starts at the skin but it can spread throughout the body. Even though this disease quite prevalent all over the world, health experts haven’t yet found out its exact cause. The risk factors of melanoma can be same as mentioned above and one of the major risk factors is regular exposure to harmful UV rays emitted from sun and artificial sources.

here are various symptoms through which you can whether you have contracted the dreadful disease or not. One of the first signs of melanoma is the change in the appearance of an existing mole. Also, the occurrence of new mole can be a sign of the beginning of the lethal disease. The abnormal mole can be easily identified by self-examining. Usually, the moles are symmetrical in appearance but abnormal ones are asymmetrical in nature. The edges of the mole appear blurry. Even the color of the mole will abnormal shade and should be evaluated by your physician. Also the diameters of the mole will around 6mm or more.

Symptoms
When you suspect the appearance of new abnormal moles or change in the existing moles, you should meet a skin-care specialist to get the condition examined. If the doctor suspects that you may be suffering from melanoma, a biopsy must be done to confirm it. After this you will have to go through further tests to find out how far the disease has spread.

Treatment
For skin cancer including melanoma, there are four types of treatment, namely surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy. The treatment can vary depending on the severity of the cancer, age and health of the patient. If detected early, patient can be cured from melanoma by surgically removing the area that has been infected. Chemotherapy and other types can be used if the condition is more advanced.

Preventive measures
The only and best thing you can do to prevent melanoma is to protect your skin from sun exposure. You can do this by using sunscreen and wearing clothes that can protect you completely from the sun and its harmful UV rays.

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