What is skin cancer?
Simply put, skin cancer is any cancer that begins in your skin. As skin cancer grows, it can spread to other parts of the body or organs as it spreads.
Two main types of skin cancer:
Malignant Melanoma: This form of skin cancer is the most dangerous and forms within the cells that generate skin pigment.
Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer: These cancers develop in the skin cells of your epidermis called keratinocytes. Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer has two main subtypes: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).
What causes skin cancer?
A large percentage–90%–of skin cancers are directly caused by UV rays or sun exposure.The great news is that you can control your exposure to the sun. Other factors including skin type and fairness, genetic factors, tanning beds, moles, or a history of sun damage can impact your chances of developing skin cancer.
Did you know?
- Skin cancer is incredibly common, and there are more new cases of skin cancer each year than breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers combined.
- Melanoma is the third most common form of cancer in Canadian women (15-29). While it’s most prevalent in people over 80 years of age, it’s also one of the most common cancers among adolescents and young adults.
Do you have more questions?
Book a consultation to learn more, and stay tuned for our next blog post where we’ll walk through risk reduction and skin protection from skin cancer.
