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Your Skin
• Your skin is made up of 3 main layers.
• Your skin is considered the largest organ in the human
body.
• Your skin is made up of three major layers epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis (also called the
subcutaneous tissue).
• Your skin loses about 30,000 to 40,000 dead skin cells
from the surface almost every minute, even though
you do not see it happening.
• Your skin sheds a layer of these dead cells every 24
hours and renews itself about every 28 days.
• Your skin contains a protein called keratin which is
also found in hair and nails
• Your skin is the thinnest on the eyelid.
New skin
Old skin
Facts about skin cancer
• Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer,
with more than 3.5 million cases affecting more
than two million people each year, according to
the Skin Cancer Foundation.
• Each year there are more new cases of skin
cancer than the combined incidence of cancers of
the breast, prostate, lung and colon.
• Over the past 31 years, more people have had
skin cancer than all other cancers combined.
• The two most common skin cancers are basal
cell and squamous cell carcinoma.
• Basal Cell Cancer accounts for more than 90%
of skin cancers in the U.S.
• Melanoma is usually the most serious form of
skin cancer because of its tendency to spread
throughout the body quickly.
• Although skin cancer is more prevalent in light
colored skin; it is important for ALL people to
take it seriously.
What are basal and squamous cell skin cancers?
• These types of skin cancer are classified as nonmelanomas. They usually start in the basal cells
or squamous cells, which is how they get their
names. These cells are found at the base of the
outer layer of the skin.
• Most non-melanoma skin cancers develop on
sun-exposed areas of the body, like the face, ear,
neck, lips, and the backs of the hands. Depending
on the type, they can be fast or slow growing, but
they rarely spread to other parts of the body.
• Basal cell or squamous cell cancers are highly
likely to be cured if found and treated early.
Basal Cell Carcinoma
This is a classic basal cell
carcinoma - the least
dangerous form of skin
cancer. Note the red color
and the almost pearlescent
look. These cancers seldom
metastasize but can grow
larger - and so should be
removed. To minimize
scarring and disfigurement,
a basal cell carcinoma on
the face should generally
be taken off with a
specialized form of surgery
called Mohs. Elsewhere on
the body, the lesions are
often simply burned off.
Also basal cell carcinoma…
his basal cell carcinoma has turned
into a bloody, oozy mess. Be
suspicious of any lesion that bleeds
and doesn't heal.
Some basal cell carcinomas, like
this one, have a raised border.
Squamous cell carcinoma
What is melanoma skin cancer?
• Melanoma is a cancer that begins in the melanocytes – the cells
that produce the skin coloring or pigment known asmelanin.
Melanin helps protect the deeper layers of the skin from the
harmful effects of the sun.
• Melanoma is almost always curable when it is found in its very early
stages. Although melanoma accounts for only a small percentage of
skin cancer, it is far more dangerous than other skin cancers and
causes most skin cancer deaths.
• Melanoma is treatable if caught early, but because it is likely to
spread to other parts of the body, it is very dangerous and
potentially fatal. In 2013, the American Cancer Society
(ACS) estimates 76,690 new cases of melanoma in the United States
and 9,480 deaths from the disease during the year.
• The overall 5-year survival rate for melanoma is 91%. For localized
melanoma, the 5-year survival rate is 98%; survival rates for
regional and distant stage diseases are 62% and 16%, respectively.
About 84% of melanomas are diagnosed at a localized stage.
Melanoma
Here is the most
worrisome kind of skin
cancer: Melanoma.
Note the color - it's dark,
almost black. The irregular,
scalloped border seen in
this lesion is another
hallmark of melanoma.
Over time, melanomas
grow and thicken. The
thicker the lesion, the
worse the prognosis. This
one should have been
removed long ago.
Also melanoma…
This melanoma has the very dark
coloration and the varied
(variegated) color. In addition,
it's highly asymmetrical.
Here's a bluish-black melanoma.
Sometimes melanomas start out
as one color and slowly change.
What are the risk factors for skin cancer?
• Unprotected and/or excessive exposure to ultraviolet
(UV) radiation (sunlight or tanning booths)
• Pale complexion (difficulty tanning, easily sunburned,
natural red or blond hair color)
• Occupational exposures to coal tar, pitch, creosote,
arsenic compounds, or radium
• You or other members of your family have had skin
cancers
• Multiple or unusual moles
• Severe sunburns in the past
• Using tanning beds
Is tanning really that bad?
• This might ring a bell: "You only get the healthy rays in
tanning beds," or "Tanning beds give you a 'base tan' to
keep you from burning." The tanning-salon industry
wooed many of us with these marketing claims when UVA
rays — the ones tanning machines mainly use — were
thought to be safe and only UVB rays from the sun were
believed to be harmful.
• Since then, we've grown wiser. Definitive research has
now proven that both UVA and UVB rays can cause skin
cancer. (UVA rays have been specifically linked to
melanoma.)
• Tanning is so dangerous that it is ILLEGAL for people under
18 to use a tanning bed. It’s consider as damaging to your
body as smoking cigarettes (proven to cause cancer).
Under 30 = NO TANNING!
• Childhood exposure to UV and the number of times a
child is burnt by UV, either from the sun or from
sunbeds, are known to increase the risk of developing
melanoma later in life.
• For this reason, particular attention is required to
ensure children and adolescents do not use sunbeds.
• The United States Department of Health and Human
Services has classified exposure to sunlamps or
sunbeds as "known to be carcinogenic to humans" and
states that the longer the exposure, the greater the
risk, especially to people exposed before the age of 30
years.
Is this what you want to look like?
5 reasons NOT to tan:
1. Your risk of melanoma increases by 75 percent when you use
tanning beds before the age of 30.
2. In 2008, the International Agency for Research on Cancer shifted
indoor tanning devices to the highest cancer risk category:
"carcinogenic to humans." (They were formerly classified as "probably
carcinogenic to humans.")
3. Tanning can be addictive. For some people, UV radiation can have a
drug-like effect; they feel dependent on it and can experience
withdrawal symptoms, says David Fisher, M.D., Ph.D.
4. Not only are tanning-bed users more vulnerable to
melanoma, they're also 2½ times more likely to be diagnosed with
squamous cell carcinoma and 1½ times more susceptible to basal cell
carcinoma.
5. To deter tanners, you're going to pay a 10-percent tax every
time you slip into the tanning booth.
Skin ageing, eye damage and other
adverse health effects
• Any excessive exposure to UV, not just from sunbeds,
can result in structural damage to human skin.
• Photoageing, caused by the breakdown of collagen in
the skin by UV, manifests itself as wrinkling and loss of
elasticity.
• The effects of UV on the eye include cataracts,
pterygium (a white colored growth over the cornea)
and inflammation of the eye such as photokeratitis and
photoconjunctivitis.
• Furthermore, excessive UV exposure can suppress the
immune system, possibly leading to a greater risk of
infectious diseases.
You get what you pay for…
• Sun damage is more than just
a burn. It is a multitude of
changes to the skin caused by
exposure to UVR. These
changes include the
appearance of fine and
course wrinkles, additional
freckles, broken capillaries,
discolored areas of the skin,
or “mottled” pigmentation,
sagging or inelastic skin, and
pre-skin cancers.
Sun spots
Tanning ages you
Sunburns suck!
Is it cancer? Check the A, B, C, D, E’s
A. Asymmetry: one half unlike the other half
B. Border Irregularity: irregular, scalloped, poorly defined
C. Color: varied from one area to another, shades of tan
and brown, black; Sometimes white, red or blue
D. Diameter: greater than 6mm (or larger than a pencil
eraser)
E. Evolving: looks different from the rest or changing in
size, shape, color
In addition, there are other features of melanoma such as
surface changes (bleeding, oozing, scaliness) or signs of
itchiness, pain, or tenderness.
What do the ABCD’s look like?
Can skin cancer be prevented?
• Avoid the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Seek shade: Look for shade, especially in the middle of the
day when the sun’s rays are strongest. Practice the shadow
rule and teach it to children. If your shadow is shorter than
you, the sun’s rays are at their strongest.
• Slip on a shirt: Cover up with protective clothing to guard as
much skin as possible when you are out in the sun. Choose
comfortable clothes made of tightly woven fabrics that you
cannot see through when held up to a light.
• Slop on sunscreen: Use sunscreen and lip balm with a sun
protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher. Apply a generous
amount of sunscreen (about a palmful) and reapply every 2
hours and after swimming, toweling dry, or sweating. Use
sunscreen even on hazy or overcast days.
Continued…
• Slap on a hat: Cover your head with a wide-brimmed
hat, shading your face, ears, and neck. If you choose a
baseball cap, remember to protect your ears and neck
with sunscreen.
• Wrap on sunglasses: Wear sunglasses with 99% to
100% UV absorption to provide optimal protection for
the eyes and the surrounding skin.
• Follow these practices to protect your skin even on
cloudy or overcast days. UV rays travel through clouds.
• Avoid other sources of UV light. Tanning beds and sun
lamps are dangerous. They also damage your skin in
other ways.
Sunscreen tips
Always choose and use a sunscreen that is:
• SPF 15 or higher (SPF 30 is best)
• Broad-spectrum (protects from both UVA and UVB rays)
• Waterproof or Sweatproof
Application tips
• Apply the sunscreen generously to all exposed skin – most people
do not use enough sunscreen and therefore do not get the
maximum protection.
• Reapply every two hours, and even more frequently if you are
sweating, getting wet, or are in a windy climate.
• Apply 30 minutes before going outside.
• Besides protecting you from sunburn, sunscreens help to prevent
other skin damage related to sun exposure, such as premature
aging and pre-cancerous growths.
Lip Balm
• Always wear a lip balm with an SPF 15 or higher – remember that your lips
can burn just like the rest of your skin.
• Reapply often!
Or else…this is probably your fate