Is it Skin Disease? Could it be Cancer?
By Anne Clarke
Here is a brief algorithm for diagnosis you can refer to, before speaking with your physician or dermatologist:
I home this will help to be a guide that will help determine what kinds of lesions may be of concern, and what signs your dermatologist will be looking for.
Some lesions you may find on your epidermis will turn out not to be skin cancer, but regardless, they can still be of concern. Though perhaps not the worst thing that could happen to your skin, certain kinds of diagnosis can be very important to attend to right away.
If then character of your skin legion is brown or black, it is likely a kind of Pigmented BBC. These legions are mostly nodular and can be totally pigmented or appear in fractions of pigment. Again, as with any skin legion, you will want to consult your doctor as soon as possible. There are many other possibilities as to what this kind of legion could be other than skin cancer.
One way to diagnose your skin disease is by the appearance of it. If the legion you find is scar-like, it likely falls under the category of Sclerotic BBC. The characteristics of these particular legions are that they appear flat or even depressed, if the border of the legion is not well defined, or if the legion appears shinylike a scar. However, something like this could just be a traumatic scar and not skin cancer at all.
If you legion is yellowish it may be what is called a Nodular BBCthe majority of these legions will be found on the face. Sometimes they are more pearly colored, they may have a rolled edge, stretching the skin will help you see the legion better, these legions are slow-growing and are almost always on the face. However, there are several other kinds of skin disease that could have similar appearance that is why it is recommended that you always consult your doctor when you find a legion on your skin.
A reddish colored legion on the skin could possibly be Superficial BBC. The legion may have a fine scale, will appear perhaps with a thin, beaded pearly boarder surrounding it, these legions tend to have atropic centers. Depending on if the legion is scaly or smooth, the legion could be one of many different types of skin disease.
As with any cancer, if the illness is identified soon enough, it is more effectively treatablethe same goes for other kinds of skin disease. So you do not want to put off diagnosis or the necessary treatment.
Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, health care and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on skin care please visit Skin Care.
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