What Are the Signs of Skin Cancer? 5 Signs You Need to Know of Skin Cancer
More and more people are being diagnosed throughout the world with skin cancer than any other types of cancer. Almost all skin cancers are curable provided it is detected and treated in its early stages. Therefore it is very important that you be able to recognize the signs of skin cancer. The 5 signs of skin cancer can easily be remembered by the first five letters of the alphabets or ABCDE. They are Asymmetry, Border, Color, Diameter and Elevation of the moles or skin growth.
Asymmetry:
Asymmetry is when the two sides of the mole are not symmetrical. If you divide the mole into half with an imaginary lines, the top half should look very close like the bottom half or the right half same as the left half. If it is not, then this could be an indication of possible skin cancer or melanoma. In other words, when the two sides of the mole do not match, seek medical attention immediately as it is a warning sign.
Border:
The outside edge of your mole or spot is known as border. A normal or even benign mole has smooth, even outer borders. If it is uneven then it could be a warning sign. Studies have shown that skin cancer can feed and grow on hormone changes so be sure to have your moles and skin checked after pregnancy. Some of the words used to describe problematic growth are scalloped, jagged, notched, blurred, lack of smoothness and poorly defined.
Color:
Another sign of skin cancer is the color of the mole. Cancerous growths are frequently multicolored in appearance; it could be black, white, brown, red or blue. A brown or red mole is an early sign of cancer. If the moles have a bluish tint to them then it could be melanoma. Another cause for concern is when the mole has more than one color or hue. Benign growths are generally one hue. Cancerous moles however can have shades of black mixed with shades of tan or brown. If the mole starts morphing into larger, red moles and sometimes with dashes of red, white and blue it usually means the cancer is progressing.
Diameter:
Another important tell-tale sign to watch out for is the size or diameter of the mole. If it is larger than 6mm or quarter of an inch then seek medical attention. To make it easier if the mole is bigger than a pencil eraser (which is about 6mm in size) then it should be a concern.
Evolving:
Moles should be flat against the skin and do not change in size over time. Skin cancers are often raised above the normal skins surface and have an uneven surface. Cancerous moles also tend to increase in height at a fairly rapid rate. When the mole starts to develop scaliness, crusting, bleeding, erosion or ulceration then it is a sign that the mole is evolving into something else, a process referred to as evolution.
With the growing number of people being diagnosed with skin cancer, it is very important to detect the signs at its early stages and knowing the 5 skin cancer signs are keys to its detection.
