Skin cancer is an abnormal proliferation of skin cells that originates and develops in most cases on the face of skin that is exposed to a lot of sunlight. However, this common type of cancer can also develop in areas of the skin that are not exposed to much sunlight.

skin cancer

Types of skin cells

The epidermis contains three types of cells:

Squamous cells: They are located just below the outer layer and form the inner lining of the skin.

Basal cells: They are responsible for the production of new skin cells and are located under the squamous cells.

Pigment cells: They are the ones that produce melanin, which gives the skin its natural color, and these cells are located in the deep part of the epidermis.

Pigment cells produce an excess amount of melanin when exposed to the sun in order to protect the deeper layers of the skin, and it is this excess production of melanin that gives the skin its appearance.

Types of skin cancer

There are three common types of skin cancer, which are as follows:

Basal cell carcinoma - BCC.

Squamous cell carcinoma - SCC.

Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer.

These three types of skin cancer all have a high prevalence and appearance, although skin cancer can be prevented and prevented the bulk of it by reducing or avoiding unnecessary exposure to ultraviolet rays, and by paying attention to suspicious and suspicious changes appear in the skin.

Through early detection, very high rates of success can be achieved in treating most cases of skin cancer, including the most aggressive and deadly forms and types.

Other, less common types of skin cancer include:

Kaposi's sarcoma.

Merkel Cell Carcinoma - MCC.

Mammary gland cancer.

Areas of the body in which it is spread

Skin cancer primarily originates and develops on areas of the body that are exposed to sunlight, including:

the face.

Scalp.

lips;

ears.

the neck.

the chest.

Hands and arms.

But it can also develop in areas of the body that are exposed to sunlight infrequently, such as: the palms of the hands, under the nails, the spaces between the toes, and under the toenails, as well as in the genital area.

Skin cancer affects people of different races and genders with different skin colors, including those with very dark skin, and when melanoma-type cancer appears in people with dark skin, it may appear specifically and specifically in areas of the body that are not usually exposed to sunlight.

A cancerous tumor in the skin may appear suddenly or may develop gradually, and the shape and nature of the tumor depends on the type of cancer

How does skin cancer form?

Skin cancer symptoms

Symptoms associated with each type of cancer include:

1. Symptoms of basal cell carcinoma

This is the most common type of skin cancer, and at the same time, it is the type that is relatively easy to treat and the least widespread in the body.

Basal cell carcinoma usually presents in one of two ways:

A pearl-shaped, or wax-like bump that appears on the face, ears, or back of the neck.

A flat, skin-colored or brown-colored scar that appears on the chest or back.

2. Symptoms of squamous cell carcinoma

This type can be treated relatively easily if detected in its early stages, but it tends to spread and metastasize in the body more quickly than basal cell carcinomas.

Squamous cell carcinoma usually presents with one of the following two forms:

A small, hard, red lump that appears on the face, lips, ears, the back of the neck, or the palms of the hands.

A flat, scaly scar that appears on the face, ears, back of the neck, arms, or palms of the hands.

3. Symptoms of melanoma

Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer and is responsible for the bulk of deaths from skin cancer. Melanoma can appear and develop anywhere in the body, and melanoma usually appears on the nose, head, or neck in men, while it appears This type of cancer in women is most often on the arms or legs.

Warning signs that warn of the danger of melanoma include the following:

A large brown spot with tiny dots that can appear anywhere on the body.

A simple mole that may have been present anywhere on the body that changes color, size, or texture, or bleeds.

A small, indistinct wound with red, white, or blue-black dots that appear on the nose or extremities.

Shiny, solid, dome-shaped tubercles that can be anywhere on the body.

Dark wounds that appear on the palms of the hands, palms of the feet, the tips of the fingers and toes, or on the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, vagina and anus.

There are precancerous scars such as actinic keratosis that may progress to malignant melanoma type sarcoma. Actinic keratosis appears as a kind of rough, crusty, brown or dark pink patch that appears mainly on the face, ears, and lower legs of people Those with fair skin that have been damaged by sunlight.

Not all changes that occur in the skin are precancerous, the only way to be sure of this is to have the skin examined by a physician or a dermatologist.

Causes and risk factors for skin cancer

Skin cancer begins to develop on the surface of the upper outer layer of the skin. The thickness of the skin is like a thin line drawn by a pencil and it forms a protective layer made up of skin cells that the body sheds constantly.

The skin cells within the epidermal layer usually multiply in a measured and regular manner, as new cells usually push etc Old lyases move toward the surface of the skin, where the old cells die and eventually fall off.

This entire process is controlled and regulated by deoxyribonucleic acid - DNA which is the genetic material that contains the instructions that regulate and control any biological or chemical process that occurs in the body.

A defect in this process is one of the most important causes of skin cancer. When there is a defect in the DNA, changes occur in the instructions that it transmits, which may lead to the multiplication and growth of new cells in an uncontrolled and chaotic manner, and then the formation of a mass of cancer cells.

The effect of ultraviolet rays (UV - Ultraviolet)

Most of the damage that occurs to RNA in skin cells is caused by ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

Ultraviolet light is divided into three types in terms of wavelength: ultraviolet A (UVA), ultraviolet B (UVB), and ultraviolet C (UVC), only A and B rays can reach the globe, while C rays are Completely absorbed by the ozone layer.

In the past, scientists believed that only UV-B rays were a stimulating factor for the growth of cancerous skin cells. It was believed that UV-B rays caused the greatest damage to RNA in skin cells, including the activation of Oncogene, a type of gene whose activation leads to the transformation of healthy cells into cancerous tissue.