Overview
Skin cancer — the abnormal growth of skin cells — most often develops on skin exposed to the sun. But this common form of cancer can also occur on areas of your skin not ordinarily exposed to sunlight.
There are three major types of skin cancer — basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma.
You can reduce your risk of skin cancer by limiting or avoiding exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Checking your skin for suspicious changes can help detect skin cancer at its earliest stages. Early detection of skin cancer gives you the greatest chance for successful skin cancer treatment.
Symptoms
Where skin cancer develops
Skin cancer develops primarily on areas of sun-exposed skin, including the scalp, face, lips, ears, neck, chest, arms and hands, and on the legs in women. But it can also form on areas that rarely see the light of day — your palms, beneath your fingernails or toenails, and your genital area.
Skin cancer affects people of all skin tones, including those with darker complexions. When melanoma occurs in people with dark skin tones, it’s more likely to occur in areas not normally exposed to the sun, such as the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
Basal cell carcinoma signs and symptoms
Basal cell carcinoma usually occurs in sun-exposed areas of your body, such as your neck or face.
Basal cell carcinoma may appear as:
- A pearly or waxy bump
- A flat, flesh-colored or brown scar-like lesion
- A bleeding or scabbing sore that heals and returns
Squamous cell carcinoma signs and symptoms
Most often, squamous cell carcinoma occurs on sun-exposed areas of your body, such as your face, ears and hands. People with darker skin are more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma on areas that aren’t often exposed to the sun.
Squamous cell carcinoma may appear as:
- A firm, red nodule
- A flat lesion with a scaly, crusted surface
Melanoma signs and symptoms
Melanoma can develop anywhere on your body, in otherwise normal skin or in an existing mole that becomes cancerous. Melanoma most often appears on the face or the trunk of affected men. In women, this type of cancer most often develops on the lower legs. In both men and women, melanoma can occur on skin that hasn’t been exposed to the sun.
Melanoma can affect people of any skin tone. In people with darker skin tones, melanoma tends to occur on the palms or soles, or under the fingernails or toenails.
Melanoma signs include:
- A large brownish spot with darker speckles
- A mole that changes in color, size or feel or that bleeds
- A small lesion with an irregular border and portions that appear red, pink, white, blue or blue-black
- A painful lesion that itches or burns
- Dark lesions on your palms, soles, fingertips or toes, or on mucous membranes lining your mouth, nose, vagina or anus
Signs and symptoms of less common skin cancers
Other, less common types of skin cancer include:
- Kaposi sarcoma. This rare form of skin cancer develops in the skin’s blood vessels and causes red or purple patches on the skin or mucous membranes.Kaposi sarcoma mainly occurs in people with weakened immune systems, such as people with AIDS, and in people taking medications that suppress their natural immunity, such as people who’ve undergone organ transplants.Other people with an increased risk of Kaposi sarcoma include young men living in Africa or older men of Italian or Eastern European Jewish heritage.
- Merkel cell carcinoma. Merkel cell carcinoma causes firm, shiny nodules that occur on or just beneath the skin and in hair follicles. Merkel cell carcinoma is most often found on the head, neck and trunk.
- Sebaceous gland carcinoma. This uncommon and aggressive cancer originates in the oil glands in the skin. Sebaceous gland carcinomas — which usually appear as hard, painless nodules — can develop anywhere, but most occur on the eyelid, where they’re frequently mistaken for other eyelid problems.
When to see a doctor
Make an appointment with your doctor if you notice any changes to your skin that worry you. Not all skin changes are caused by skin cancer. Your doctor will investigate your skin changes to determine a cause.
Skin Cancer Symptoms
In general, any new or changing spots on your skin that persist for two weeks or more should be brought to your doctor’s attention. Skin cancer often has no symptoms in its early stages, though symptoms can appear at any point.
Skin cancer symptoms may include:
- A new spot on the skin or
- A changes in the size, shape or color of an existing spot. These changes can vary greatly so there is no one way to describe how a skin cancer looks.
- A spot that is itchy or painful
- A non-healing sore that bleeds or develops a crust
- A red- or skin-colored shiny bump on the top of the skin
- A red rough or scaly spot that you can feel
- A growth with a raised border and central crust or bleeding
- A wart-like growth
- A scar-like growth without a well-defined border
Skin cancer symptoms can vary depending on the type of skin cancer and its location on the skin. Below are general descriptions of the various symptoms associated with specific skin cancer types.
Basal cell carcinoma usually appears on the face, neck, arms, legs, ears and hands — areas with high sun exposure. However, it can appear in other areas as well. Signs of basal cell carcinoma include:
- Pearly or waxy bump on the skin
- Flat, rough, or scar-like patch on the skin
- A sore that bleeds, doesn’t fully heal, or that reoccurs
Squamous cell carcinoma also tends to develop in areas of high sun exposure. In some cases, squamous cell carcinoma can affect areas that are not exposed to sunlight. This is especially the case for people with darker skin tones. Signs of squamous cell carcinoma include:
- A firm, red nodule
- A scaly or crusty lesion with irregular borders
- Painful or itchy skin lesion
Melanoma can occur anywhere on the body and may develop out of existing moles. In people with darker skin tones, melanoma tends to occur on the palms or soles of the feet. Signs of melanoma include:
- Change in the appearance of a mole
- Development of a large brown spot, often with irregular edges
- Dark lesions on the mucous membranes (nose, mouth, vagina, or anus) or the fingers and toes
Scarlett Johansson Once Put Her Beach Bum On Display In A Blue Bikini & Served Major Body Positivity Vibes For The All Girls Out There To Feel Confident In Their Own Skin!
Scarlett Johansson Once Put Her Beach Bum On Display In A Blue Bikini & Served Major Body Positivity Vibes For The All Girls Out There To Feel Confident In Their Own Skin!
Do you feel under confident when you wear sleeveless outfits or feel uncomfortable donning something too revealing because of how your body looks, be it the sogginess of your b**bs or the stretchmarks on your thighs or the curves in your waist area? Well, this is nothing new. Every woman gets this feeling every now and then. That is why today we have our favourite Hollywood celeb Scarlett Johansson teaching us how to be quite confident in our skin and flaunt that beautiful body of ours. Keep scrolling to read more.
Scarlett is one of the A-listers of Hollywood who has been a part of many prestigious projects, but she will forever be remembered for her performance as Marvel’s Black Widow. Apart from being a versatile and talented actress, she is also a fashionista. She has a unique taste in fashion which has never gone wrong most of the time.
Today, we have a series of pictures of Scarlett Johansson from the time when she was enjoying her vacay on a beach. As shared by one of her fan pages, named ‘scarlett_johansson_official’ on Instagram, Scarlett could be seen wearing a light blue-coloured knotted bikini and flaunted her figure like a pro. Putting her beach bum, curves and all the stretchmarks on display, the actress showed how to be confident in your own skin.
We feel her mantra was – own your marks, own your beauty.
Scarlett Johansson opted for a simple look with the bikini. And with lots of sunscreen, a pair of black sunnies, a beach hat, a messy top bun and some lip gloss, the actress completed her look.
For the unversed, recently, Scarlett was seen walking the red carpet of Cannes 2023, looking like a diva in a pink gown with peek-a-boo bra detailing.
Well, are you with Scarlett Johansson’s body positivity mantra? Let us know if this helped you to own your body type and all your insecurities.
Stick to Koimoi for more news and updates!
Scarlett Johansson and her husband Colin Jost set their worries to the side as they enjoyed some fun in the sun off the coast of the Hamptons on Friday.
The actress, 37, wowed in a wine red bikini while relaxing with her husband and several friends on a sleek boat.
Scarlett looked incredible as usual in a plunging bikini top, high waist bottoms, and white baseball cap shielding her stunning complexion.
Red-y or not! Scarlett Johansson wowed in a wine red bikini while relaxing on board a boat with her husband and several friends off the coast of the Hamptons on Friday
She basked in the sunshine with a pair of stylish sunnies concealing her eyes and a gold pendant necklace accessorizing the look.
Scarlett was the picture of relaxation hanging out with her pals with a cool drink in hand.
