Causes and Clues on Skin Cancer

Being diagnosed with cancer is one of the most devastating feelings in the world, as it shatters your soul. The patient feels helpless, deprived, broken, demotivated and everything you name it. It feels like the end of happiness, career, dreams and eventually life. So what can you do to avoid all this? What are the early symptoms of skin cancer? Does laser hair removal cause skin cancer? Knowing the answers to these questions along with early symptoms can be a lifesaver in this aspect. 

Today, we are going to shed some light on the symptoms and clues along with the causes of all types of Skin Cancer. Skin cancer is caused because of abnormal growth of skin cells mainly due to the exposure to UV sun rays. It can also occur in those areas that are not exposed to sunlight at all. 

Lets, find out more about this life-threatening skin disease and how to deal with it.

3 Major Types of Skin Cancer

1. Basal Cell Skin Cancer

This is the first major type of skin cancer, it occurs on the areas that are most exposed to direct sunlight. The neck and face are the two areas of the body that are most exposed that’s why they are usually affected. 

It usually appears on the face and neck as:

• Skin indentation or bump (cluster of cells forming a hard structure).
• A flesh-coloured scar that can be described as a skin lesion.
• Bleeding from the throat and suffering from sore throat and then healing on your own.

1. Squamous Cell Skin Cancer

This is the second major type of skin cancer, it also mainly appears onto the more sun-exposed areas of the skin. These include your face, your hands, and the ears area. 

This type of cancer appears as:

• A hard nodule that is hard (because of a cluster of cells) and red in colour. 
• A crust that forms onto the back of your hands and ears, that can be described as a flat lesion.

1. Melanoma signs and symptoms

One of the most life-threatening and also the most common type of skin cancer, melanoma is the third major type of skin cancer. It is not area-specific and can appear anywhere on your body. It commonly forms inside an existing mole, due to a cluster of melanin that forms a hard tumour.

It can affect people of any skin tone, however, fair-complexioned people are affected more. It usually occurs if your skin is not exposed to enough sunlight.

6 Common Symptoms of Skin Cancer

1. A mole that changes its colour, shape, or size.
2. Formation of a lesion that causes itching and produces a burning sensation.
3. A red, blue, black, pink, white, or blueish black coloured lesion that has an irregular border.
4. A dark coloured lesion that appears onto your hand palms, toes, vagina, anus, around the mouth or fingertips.
5. Bleeding from throat along with sore throat that heals up itself and then returns.
6. A large brown-coloured spot having dark speckles.

Can Laser Hair Removal Cause Skin Cancer?

Well, the simple answer is NO, laser hair removal cannot cause skin cancer. It is just a myth that does not have any scientific proof. However, using non-sterilized and dirty equipment to carry out any procedure can cause skin cancer. 

As a matter of fact, laser treatment is used to cure some types of cancer, that include, getting rid of precancerous lesions that cause this cancer.

Different lasers can also help deal with skin damage caused by excess exposure to sunlight.

Major Causes of Skin Cancer

This cancer mainly occurs when there is some mutation in the basic DNA structure. The mutation causes the cells of the body to go out of control, and start forming clusters (tumours) or hard masses. It usually from the top layer of the skin (epidermis), and can be easily detected if the patient is careful. These two are the most common causes of skin cancer:

1. Ultraviolet Light of the Sun

Direct exposure to the harmful rays of the sun is one of the biggest causes of skin cancer in both men and women. The UV light used in tanning beds is another cause of skin cancer. People having a weak immune system easily fall prey to this deadly form of cancer.

1. Less or No Exposure to Sun Light

Many people only think that overexposure to UV rays can cause skin cancer, which is not true. In fact, the areas that are less or not exposed to the sun can form skin cancer. This type of cancer forms beneath your fingernails, genital areas and palms of your hand.

Bottom Line

If you are also suffering from any symptom mentioned above, it doesn’t mean that you have skin cancer. You cannot be sure until or unless you visit a skin specialist and get yourself checked. These are just some common symptoms and they may not be indicative of any skin disease.

Also Read: Reasons You Need a Smile Makeover

However, the good news is that you can rest easy about the laser hair removal treatment. All FDA approved lasers used for hair removal does not cause skin cancer.