What Is The Most Common Skin Cancer?
According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun is the main reason most individuals get skin cancer. Obviously, the more you are in the sun, the increase of skin cancer rises. Tanning booths also increase the chance of skin cancer.
Some individuals believe that if you have small doses of sun each day without sunblock it can decrease the chance of cancer if your body begins to slowly tolerate the UV. This reasoning comes from the notion that people do not sun tan during most of the year, then spend hours at a time tanning. The skin needs to build up a “tolerance” to UV rays but if done slowly it will not produce a cancer cell.
What does a BCC look like? There are tons of pictures online so you may want to check them out. It usually begins small with a dome shape bump. Blood vessels can be seen. It appears to be shiny or “pearly”, but at times it may look dark. Sometimes it may seem like a mole so it may be necessary to get a biopsy to determine if it is BCC. The texture of such a spot is often shiny and translucent, sometimes referred to as "pearly." They grow at a slow pace (months or years). Treatment: Good News: There is a very high success rate (90% or more). Removal of the carcinoma is necessary and in most cases there is very little scarring.
With the hot weather approaching, be careful and take care of yourself. Drink lots of water too!
Dr. Amie Gregory, DC, CCEP, ANF is a chiropractor in San Francisco, CA and San Carlos, CA. She helps athletes and regular Jane's and Joe's get healthy and stay healthy. Contact us today to find out how she can help you with your health goals.
3150 18th Street, Suite 334
San Francisco, CA 94110, United States
8-12pm
Closed
3-6PM
8-12PM
3-8PM
8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Closed