dence, meaning in this case that you’re much more likely to do a skin self-examination if a partner joins you in that self-exam. Now, I don’t know about your relationship (and hey! I don’t want to know about it) but it seems to me that when your partner is examining your skin, the odds are pretty high that from time to time you’re going to end up doing much more than looking for black dots and nodules.
.....So, hey, I figure the promise of unexpected sex is what’s going to get at least a few of you to read yet another article about skin cancer. So, here’s a very abbreviated primer on the 3 most common forms of skin cancer.
.....Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common skin cancer, and in the majority of cases (though not all) is due to excess sun exposure. No surprise, then, that BCC is most common on the face, neck, ears, scalp, back, and shoulders, and that BCCs occur much more often in people who have spent lots of time in the sun (in other words, all us aging baby boomer ex-sun gods and goddesses), especially those with fairer skin that burns easily.
.....BCCs are not always easy to recognize because they often don’t look very “malignant”. For example, the BCCs I remember most clearly in my patients were the classic “pearly nodules” that look exactly like well, innocent pearly nodules on the face. BCCs can also take the form of non-healing open sores, enlarging red patches, and other unusual changes.
Luckily, the overwhelming majority of BCCs grow slowly, so there’s usually lots of time to make an accurate diagnosis and institute treatment, which usually consists of localized surgery. The prognosis is generally excellent although BCCs tend to recur, so it’s imperative for BCC patients to check their skin carefully for years after the surgery (see above – and below).
.....The second most common form of skin cancer are squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), which also mostly occur on sun-exposed areas such as the face, neck, scalp, arms, shoulders, back, and legs. SCCs, though, also occur on previously “damaged” skin such as scars and burns.
.....SCCs usually appear as “rough” new patches or thick harder areas of skin that may ulcerate or bleed easily, although again, SCCs can take many “camouflaged” forms, so if you’re not sure about a particular skin change, Hey! Folks, heed my warning and get it checked by a health professional. And equally important if |
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