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  ____Skin Cancers

Anyone can get Skin Cancer

 

It's more common among people with a light (fair) skin tone, but skin cancer can affect anyone. It does not matter whether you are concidered light or dark skinned, or even inbetween. Everyone is at risk of getting skin cancer. Being in the sun damages skin. Sunlight causes damage through ultraviolet, or UV rays. 

Also, the sun isn't the only cause of skin cancer. There are other cause, and that's why skin cancer may be found in places on the body that have never been exposed to the sun.

Signs and
        Symptoms

Often the first sign is a change in the size, shape, color, or feel of an existing mole. 

Melanomas have a black or blue-black area, and may also appear as a new mole.

 

Diagnosis

If the doctor suspects that a spot on the skin is a melanoma, the patient will need to have a biopsy. A biopsy is the only way to make a difinitive diagnosis. A plastic surgeon may be recomended to remove the all of the suspious-looking growth.

Know you're
                A,B,C's

(A)symmetry-- The shape of one half does not match the other.

(B)order-- The edges are often ragged, notched, blurred, or irregular in outline; the pigment may spread into the surrounding skin.

(C)olor-- The color is uneven. Shades of black, brown, and tan may be present. Areas of white, grey, red and pink or blue also may be seen.

(D)iameter-- There is a change in size, usually an increase. Melanomas are usually larger than the eraser of a pencile.

The images below are graphic in nature,

view at your own risk.

This patient had a skin cancer on the tip of his nose. In order to completely remove it, some of his cartilage was lost. These are pictures before, during and after his first surgery to remove the skin cancer and reconstruct the nose.  Skin from the forehead was used.

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