Yes, the lighter your skin, the higher your risk of developing skin cancers, but this condition does not only affect white people with fair skin and red hair. Any skin can be damaged by sunburn; lighter skin just needs less sun exposure to become damaged. In South Africa, sun exposure is the biggest risk factor. Other risk factors include sunbeds and some types of chemicals.
Thankfully, not all skin lesions and lumps are skin cancers. Some other causes include infections, irritations, and non-cancer lesions.
How do you recognise skin cancer?
- New or changing lesions with some or all the features below
- A – Asymmetrical
- B – Border irregular
- C – Colour, changing of colour
- D – Diameter, Cancer grows, and cancer lesions are usually bigger than 6mm
- E – Evolution, thus meaning remember that the lesion changes over time
Most common types of skin cancers:
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Very common type of skin cancer, which predominantly spreads superficially.
- Mostly on the arms and faces of people.
- Starting as small, thickened, scaling bumps, as it grows, becomes ulcerated with an indurated edge.
- It is treated by freeze burning with cryotherapy or excision.
- Basal cell carcinoma
- Superficially spreading, mainly appearing in the facial areas.
- It usually starts as a skin-coloured, glistening lump. Over time, it changes to an ulcer in the middle with rolled edges.
- The most used treatment is the excision of the lesion.
- Melanoma
- The life-threatening skin cancer, which can spread to other organs.
- In people with dark skin, one type develops on the palms and soles. Although it is not found in sun-exposed areas, it is still as dangerous as the other types.
- Melanomas are mostly dark lesions, but some are coloured or granulomas.
- The main risk factors are direct family members with a history of melanoma, Blonde or red-haired, fair-skinned people, Sun exposure and numerous melanocytic moles.
Thus, if you don’t know what is happening to your skin, visit your doctor to check it out and protect your family from the sun.