Aug 22, 2016
Epidermis = top layer of skin. Living cells divide and then add in proteins that causes cells to harden as they die and become and protective layer to keep out water and dirt and critters. Some of those proteins give your skin its color (melanin) and they help block and reflect UV light from the sun to keep the living cells from being damaged.
Mutations = if UV light damages the cells' DNA, then when the cells divide and replicate, they copy the "error" and reproduce an abnormal cell. If certain mutations cause the cells to die, others cause the cells to be weak, but others cause the cells to become cancer.
Some benign (harmless) skin characteristics can resemble skin cancer, thus it's easy to overlook them in the early stages.
A - Asymmetry - you can't fold it in half and all the edges
match
B - Boarder - jaggedy, sharp boarders
C - Color - uneven color
D - Diameter - > 6mm (bigger than the eraser of a #2 pencil)
E - Evolving - changes shape, size, or color in a short amount of
time (< 1 month)
This is why the National Skin Cancer Foundation recommends you do a monthly skin scan to check skin characteristics for changes or new ones.
Early detection is the number one step to improve survival of all cancers.
Precancer = Actinic Keratosis - dry and flakey places in the skin, can be the precursor of Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Usually shows up after 40 years old.
Cancer is not just a disease that happens to the aged, but as you age, the probability of you being exposed to something that could mutate your cells goes up.
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Music Credits: “Radio Martini” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/