Treatment options for skin cancer

Recently had a Biopsy after examining your skin? Diagnosed with skin cancer? Don't be

afraid there are a lot of treatments out there. First and foremost, classify what type of skin

cancer you have. Is it nonmelanoma or melanoma. Nonmelanoma is not so dangerous

whereas melanoma can get very dangerous. Again if its nonmelanomma is it Basal or

Squamous? It is important to understand the types in order to get the correct treatment. Usually a surgery is

the number one choice for treatment and here is a good link that gives us details on the types of surgeries

performed for different types of skin cancer.

Non-melanoma skin cancer treatment - Health Professional Information [NCI PDQ]

Types of standard treatment by National Cancer Institute

Medicines are rarely used to treat skin cancer as surgery is more common. However, medicines that may

be used are:Fluorouracil (5-FU), Imiquimod 5% cream (Aldara), Chemotherapy, Interferon, Tretinoin (Retin-A)

Details on these medications can be found in the link Skin Cancer,Nonmelanoma - Medications

Block the sun, not the fun

“Prevention is Better than Cure” an Old and Gold Remedy - Follow It. We all know the Do’s and Don’ts of Prevention but are still careless to implement them in our day to day lives. So to refresh our knowledge on that, here are some Prevention Tips:

• Time your Outdoor Activities: The harmful radiations of the sun cause maximum damage betweem 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. daylight savings time (9 a.m. to 3 p.m. standard time) in the United States. Try and stay indoors during this time.
• Use a Sunscreen: Choose a Sunscreen with SPF(Sun protection Factor) of at least 15 for both UVA and UVB protection. Reapply if you are outdoor for more than 2 hours or if you sweat/swim.
• Wear Sunglasses that block 100% both UVA and UVB rays.
• Wear Wide Brim hats that shade your face, head, neck, ears.
• Wear clothing that fully covers all parts of your body.
• Avoid Tanning Booths: especially for children. Check out http://www.dermanetwork.org/news/news_details.asp?ID=550 for more information about Legalities concerning usage of Tanning Booths by minors.

Check out adjoining slideshow on some of the best sun care products available in the market.

The beginning of skin cancer

Are you a sun lover and love to spend time basking in the sun? Are you crazzzy about the trendy tanned look? Are you fair skinned and have freckles? Do you have light colored eyes - blue or green? Do you have more than 50 moles on your body? Does your family tree have a skin cancer history? Are you exposed to excessive X-rays in your work? Have you had a recent disease or organ transplant that requires suppressing your immune system? Are you exposed to chemicals like asphalt, paraffin wax, coal tar, arsenic etc. during the course of your work?

If you answered Yes to any of the above questions then take another look at yourself and check for lesions or changes in your skin (mostly face, neck, shoulder, back and arms). Apply the ABCD rule to examine these lesions.

A- Asymmetry
B- Border
C- Color
D- Diameter

Check out this adjoining You Tube Video to learn how to examine yourself for Skin Cancer.

Skin cancer: How it affects your life?

You have heard it all about nonmelanoma skin cancer and its types Basal and Squamous. The rising concern is that it affects more than 1 million people each year in the United States. This rate is rising every year especially for young adults under 40 and the victims are mostly women.

The good news is that nonmelanoma skin cancer is not dangerous as it it is localized and does not spread to the whole body. However if unnoticed or untreated for an extended period of time will negatively affect the body and possibly start spreading.

Skin Cancer can lead to emotional turmoil apart from the physical affects. Every person copes with cancer in different ways. However the diagnosis can make you feel emotions like fear, denial, guilt, depression and a total loss of control on your life. Even after treatment one can feel anxious at minor signs making you scared. It can definitely bring about major changes in your lifestyle.

So check out this blog for more tips, treatments, prevention and dealing with skin cancers.