Skin Cancer

type of cancer

Skin cancer, one of the most dreaded types in the community of cancers which make up nearly for around half of the cases diagnosed with cancer . The American Society of cancer states that there is an alarming increase in the number of skin cancer cases recently.

According to the surveys done about 1.3 million cases were diagnosed alone in the year 2004, and more than 7,600 deaths from skin cancers occurred. A particular type of skin cancer "nonmelonoma" has seen to be affecting around 50% of the people after the age of 65. However this cancer is curable during the early stages, and easy to diagnose. The American cancer society has given the facts that the risk of developing the skin cancer due to over exposure in sun in more due to the reason that children in the age group of 12-18 are the most prone to skin cancer. That's not to say you should ignore your risk of developing skin cancer. You need to be concerned about skin cancer, whether your sun bathing days are over or you still spend time pursuing the perfect tan.

The skin is the largest organ in your body, and it is the body's first defense against disease and infection. It also protects your internal organs from injuries. The skin regulates body temperature, prevents excess fluid loss and also helps to remove excess water and salt from your body.

Skin the largest organ of our body is the key factor in regulating the body temperature, fluid loss, and salt concentration in the body. Skin is composed of two layers: the epidermis which forms the outermost layer and the dermis which is beneath the epidermis. The epidermis itself consists of four layers: the stratum corneum, the granular layer, the squamous and the basal cell layer.

The deeper layer of skin is called the dermis which is made up of blood vessels, hair follicles and oil glands made up of proteins. They provide support and elasticity to the skin. The sun's rays eventually break down these proteins causing the skin to wrinkle and sag. The two main types of skin cancer are nonmelanoma skin cancer, the most common type of skin cancer, and melanoma also called malignant skin type cancer. In 2004 alone, there were about 95,880 new cases of melanoma diagnosed in the USA--about four percent of all diagnosed skin cancers-- according to the ACS. That is one person dies of melanoma every hour!

Anyone is prone to develop skin cancer, but people with fair skin are more susceptible to skin cancer than people with darker skins. Darker skin has more melanin, which provides some natural protection against the sun's damaging rays.

To prevent yourself, limit the time you go out in the sun, do be out there for hours. Buy don't forsake the sun altogether. Learn how to protect your skin from the sun's harmful rays and practice "sun safety" whenever you can--cover up with sunscreen and protective clothing and be sensible about how much time you spend in the sun.

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