The general warning signs of skin cancer include:

  • Any change in size, color, shape, or texture of a mole or other skin growth.
  • An open or inflamed skin wound that won’t heal.

Symptoms of other skin problems are varied:

  • Dry, reddish, itchy skin indicates some type of dermatitis, or skin inflammation, of which there are many types.
  • Deep pink, itchy, raised patches of skin with white scales, typically on the scalp, knees, elbows, and upper body, could be signs of psoriasis.

Call Your Doctor if

  • an existing mole changes size, shape, color, or texture; you develop a very noticeable new mole as an adult; or a new skin growth or open sore does not heal or disappear in a few weeks. You may have skin cancer.
  • a child’s rash progresses rapidly from a simple red flush to small bumps, then becomes a crusted, pimplelike inflammation that’s extremely itchy; the child probably has chickenpox.
  • a child has a red rash that spreads from the face downward and is preceded by fever, cough, and inflamed nasal passages; these are symptoms of measles.
  • you have painless ulcers on the genitals and perhaps in the mouth, followed by red, circular, non-itching lesions on the skin, especially the palms and soles; you may have syphilis.

Common Skin Problems

Herbal Beauty

Among the most common skin problems is a broad range of ailments known as dermatitis, a term that means skin inflammation. One familiar type, contact dermatitis, typically causes the skin to develop a pink or red rash, which may or may not itch. Pinpointing the exact cause of contact dermatitis can be very difficult. The culprit can be a poisonous plant, such as poison ivy or poison oak, or one among any number of other possible irritants, including certain flowers, fruits, vegetables, herbs, detergents, soaps, antiperspirants, and cosmetics.

Atopic dermatitis—also known as eczema— causes the skin to itch, scale, swell, and sometimes blister. Eczema usually runs in families and is often associated with allergies, asthma, and stress. Seborrheic dermatitis is a condition that causes greasy, yellowish scaling on the scalp and other hairy areas, as well as on the face and genitals. In infants, the disorder is called cradle cap.

Another familiar malady of the skin is psoriasis. Unpredictable, intractable, and unsightly, this is one of the most baffling and persistent of all skin disorders. Psoriasis is characterized by skin cells that multiply up to 10 times faster than normal, typically on the knees, elbows, and scalp. As underlying cells reach the skin’s surface and die, their sheer volume causes raised, white-scaled patches. A variety of factors, ranging from stress to a bacterial infection, can precipitate an episode of psoriasis. Many doctors believe external stress, such as that associated with a new job or the death of a loved one, triggers an inherited defect in skin-cell production. Psoriasis is not contagious, and most outbreaks are relatively benign. With treatment, symptoms generally subside within weeks.

Types of Skin Cancer

Skin cancers fall into two basic categories: melanoma and nonmelanoma. Melanoma is cancer of melanocytes, cells in the epidermis that produce a protective pigment called melanin; the disease affects about 1 in 10 skin cancer patients. It can start in heavily pigmented tissue, such as a mole or birthmark, as well as in normally pigmented skin. Melanoma usually appears first on the torso, although it can arise on the palm of the hand; on the sole of the foot; under a fingernail or toenail; in the mucous linings of the mouth, vagina, or anus; and even in the eye. Melanoma, which is associated with infrequent but excessive sunbathing that causes scorching sunburn, is an extremely virulent, life-threatening cancer. It is readily detectable and always curable if treated early, but it progresses faster than other types of skin cancer and tends to spread beyond the skin. Once this occurs, melanoma becomes very difficult to treat and cure.

The two most common skin cancers—basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)—are nonmelanomas, which are rarely life threatening. They progress slowly, seldom spread beyond the skin, are detected easily, and are usually curable. BCC, which accounts for nearly 3 out of 4 skin cancers, is the slowest growing; SCC is somewhat more aggressive and more inclined to spread.

Every malignant skin tumor in time becomes visible on the skin’s surface, making skin cancer the only type of cancer that is almost always detectable in its early, curable stages. Prompt treatment of skin cancer is equivalent to cure.

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