Mayo Clinic Staff | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News Network Ultraviolet rays from the sun can cause skin damage in as little as 15 minutes. Prolonged exposure and damage can lead to various forms of skin cancer , many of which, thankfully, are preventable. The sun isn’t the only skin-damaging predator.
Tanning beds and smoking also can have ill effects on the body’s outer layer. Skin cancer can take many forms, but the three most common are: — Basal cell carcinoma: Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer. It typically develops on skin that receives a lot of sun, such as the scalp, face, nose, neck and hands.
It often appears as a dome-shaped growth with visible blood vessels, a shiny, pinkish patch or a sore that heals and then returns. — Squamous cell carcinoma: Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common type of skin cancer. It also frequently develops on skin exposed to the sun, such as the face, ears, lips, back of the hands, arms and legs.
Squamous cell carcinoma often appears as a crusted or rough bump; a red, rough flat patch; a dome-shaped bump that grows and bleeds; or a sore that does not heal or heals and returns. — MelanomaMelanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. It may develop on the skin or in an existing mole.
Moles that change in size, color or shape, or develop symptoms, such as pain, itching or bleeding, can be a sign of melanoma. Melanoma can occur anywhere on the skin, including the hands and feet, under the fingernails or .
