Who is at Risk For Skin Cancer and How Do You Get Skin Cancer?

Unfortunately the exact cause of skin cancer is not known at this time, but it is known that the number of reported cases of the disease has been steadily increasing since the 1980's. As with many diseases, there are many risk factors that are shown to be associated with Skin Cancer, such as exposure to UVB, UVA or to the sun, or exposure to different compounds and chemicals can trigger it.

Heredity also plays a part in your risk of getting this disease.For a while now, scientist have been trying to figure out the real reasons that people with Celtic Heritage are more at risk of developing skin cancer from the sun. Really, though, the sun can damage any skin type, and all skin types are susceptible to getting cancer. If you are of Celtic heritage (England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland) then you should be double careful in the sun.

Of course, you can't do much about genetic diseases or your genes, but you can take obvious steps so that you will not catch skin cancer.

The number one preventiive measure for Skin Cancer? Stay out of the sun. If you have heard it once, you have heard it a thousand times, "cover up" but did you that exposure to the sun is the biggest risk factor for you for developing skin cancer? And with minor precautions, most people will avoid getting skin cancer?

You must make a conscious effort to limit the amount of radiation to which your skin will be exposed to. Your number one priority is th reduce the amount of UV rays that hit your body. and limit all you can the amount of unprotected radiation your skin absorbs
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Of course, you can stay out in the sun if you are protected, A good way to get protection is to Cover up, protect your eyes with good sunglasses, put the highest SPF you can find aon all exposed parts of your skin, and ask your doctor or pharmacist about any drugs you are taking tha could change your resistance to the UV rays.

Tips for Self Examination for Skin Cancer

Updated Tips for Self Examination for Skin Cancer

There is a way to remember what to look for when you are giving yourself a self examination for malignant melanoma. They are the "ABCD’s" and recently and "E "has been added. The letters stand for

Asymmetry - when one half of the growth has a different shape than the other.

Border irregular - when the growth has uneven edges

Color varied – the growth has more than one color. Melanomas may be black, shades of brown and tan, and even have specks of red, white, blue or/and black.

Diameter - a size, bigger than the diameter of a pencil eraser.

Enlargement -recently doctors haves have recognized the importance of moles that are new on getting larger in predicting high-risk lesions. Thus they have now added E to the criteria.

Remember to keep out of the sun, wear a hat and sunscreen when you go out.