National Cancer Awareness Day: Top 5 symptoms of skin cancer

New Delhi: Cancer serves as a stark reminder of life’s fragility, urging us to cherish every moment. It embodies the paradox of human existence: the delicate balance between resilience and vulnerability. Cancer’s presence, though unwelcome, can deepen our appreciation for health, highlight the strength within suffering, and inspire compassion for others facing the same battle.

It forces us to confront mortality, yet in doing so, can teach us the profound value of each day. Life, in its fleeting beauty, becomes more precious, and through this, cancer’s challenge transforms into a call for courage, empathy, and an embrace of the present.

Skin cancer can take many forms and show up with different symptoms depending on the type and stage. It is very necessary to keep an eye on changes in your skin and seeking medical advice for anything unusual or persistent can make a tremendous difference. Regular visits to the dermatologist, GP, or family physician should be practiced to live a disease-free life. It is a  key to effective treatment in early diagnosis, so familiarizing yourself with these symptoms can significantly contribute to long-term skin health.

Some of the common symptoms that occur are Redness or Swelling Beyond the Border of a Mole, A Patch of Skin that Feels Rough or Scaly, Changes in Sensation, Changes in existing moles, appearance of new growths or sores that don’t heal.

Changes in existing moles are one of the feature signs of melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. While moles are typically harmless, any alterations in their size, color, shape, or texture can signal a potential problem and it should not be ignored.

Appearance of new growths or sores that don’t heal

New growths or unusual skin lesions, particularly if they don’t heal within a few weeks, can be a sign of skin cancer. Non-melanoma skin cancers, such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC) which is the most common type of skin cancer, and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), often present as new growths. These can appear on parts of the skin exposed to the sun, such as the face, neck, and arms.

Changes in Sensation

Skin cancers, especially those that are invasive, can sometimes affect nerves within the skin. This can lead to changes in sensation, such as itchiness, tenderness, or pain, particularly in areas that may seem otherwise normal or have suspicious growths. Pain is often one of the last symptoms to appear in melanoma or other skin cancers, as many early lesions are painless.

Redness or Swelling beyond the border of a mole

Redness or swelling that spreads beyond the edges of a mole or pigmented area,  could also be a warning sign of skin cancer. This symptom often accompanies melanoma as the cancer cells start to infiltrate surrounding tissues. The edges of the mole may look blurred, or the redness may resemble an inflamed patch of skin surrounding the mole.

If any of these symptoms arise, it’s essential to consult a dermatologist or healthcare provider as soon as possible as skin cancers can be treated effectively if caught early, but if left untreated, they can spread and become more challenging to manage.

So it is important to have a thorough self-exam of your skin every month, in addition to an annual skin check with a dermatologist, which can greatly improve the chances of early detection and improve your vitality and longevity

Be mindful of cosmetics, powders, sunblocks, and shower gels, as they are loaded with many chemicals that will seep into our skin and disturb the natural flora of the skin. Various studies propose that excessive use of sunblocks also could have cancer-causing agents.

So skin is used to being exposed to natural environments and not getting agitated by excessive sun, excessive sunblocks, pollution, and of course, toxic eating. Even toxins harbored by the virtue of constipation can be correlated to it.

Cancer is nothing but an upset balance of our bodies, growth, hormones, and cellular regeneration, getting accelerated by some alarm, or some trauma as a defense mechanism. All we need to do is to get into reset and equilibrium, calm down, cool down, get collected, be centered, cut the chase of life, and be balanced.

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