Skincancer

The skin’s immune system is weakened by strong sunlight, which damages the skin cells and alters their genetic material. Its repair system cannot eradicate serious UV-related defects in its cells and passes on incorrect information to the daughter cells. If these continue to divide unhindered, they can mutate and develop into skin cancer years later. There are different types and sub-categories of skin cancer. The most dangerous of these is malignant melanoma, or black mole cancer.

The non-melanoma skin cancer is not as dangerous but ten times as common as malignant melanoma. Particularly affected are those areas of the skin most exposed to the sun. These include the face, ears, backs of hands and underarms and, in men, bald patches. If diagnosed early on, there is a very good chance of curing the slow-growing non-melanoma skin cancer. Although metastases seldom occur with non-melanoma skin cancer, doctors do advise regular visits to a specialist to check for changes in the skin. Non-melanoma skin cancer is classed in three different types: Aktinic Keratoses, Basal cell Cancer and Squamous cell cancer.