Can a small birthmark on the skin be a harbinger of serious health problems? Unfortunately yes. An American woman, only at the urging of her beautician, went to see a specialist. Thus, she saved health and life.
Keely Jones, although she noticed that a red lesion appeared on her temple, downplayed the problem. She was convinced that it was just a pimple that would disappear on its own in a few days. The beautician to which the woman went for an appointment was of a different opinion. The woman suggested to Kelly that the change could be dangerous and she should show it to the doctor.
Unfortunately, Keely did not care much about it and decided to remove the stubborn pimple using home remedies. When the pimple did not disappear after a few weeks, she decided to visit a dermatologist.
The doctor examined the lesion on the skin and recommended a biopsy. A week later, it turned out that what was supposed to be just an ordinary pimple was basal cell skin cancer. Cancer is easy to treat as long as you see your doctor in good time, otherwise the lesion may grow larger and turn into something very unethical. In Kelly’s case, it was quite a hole.
Even though the doctors removed the cancer cells and inserted 20 stitches, the cancer came back and the procedure had to be repeated. According to the doctors, it was the only way to win the disease. While the doctors are hopeful, Kelly must be under the care of an oncologist all the time.
What is this cancer?
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common skin neoplasm characterized by a small local malignancy and a relatively slow development. It is very rarely metastatic and is more common in elderly men.
Where does it come from? – Most skin cancers are associated with the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation, i.e. sun and tanning beds. If we carelessly expose ourselves to overexposure to this radiation, we increase the risk of skin damage. Therefore, protection against ultraviolet radiation must not be forgotten. In many countries, thanks to the improved awareness of the risk, it was possible to reduce the number of cases – says in an interview with Medonet Prof. Piotr Rutkowski, head of the Department of Tumors of Soft Tissues, Bones and Melanomas at the Oncology Center at the Institute of Maria Skłodowskiej-Curie in Warsaw.
But not only sunbathing is to blame here. According to the researchers, skin cancer is much more common in people who smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol or eat poorly (their diets are low in vegetables and fruits). The development of the disease may be caused by contact with chemicals, e.g. plant protection products (herbicides), petroleum derivatives, fungicides, aromatic hydrocarbons, arsenic compounds.
Symptoms of basal cell carcinoma
The neoplasm is most often located on the exposed parts of the body – hands, face, neck, scalp. In the first phase of the disease, a single, hard, transparent lesion appears, which does not disappear for a long time. Over time, the lesion begins to hurt, swelling appears, lymph nodes increase. In neglected cases, local infiltration of deeper structures may occur.
Varieties: squamous cell carcinoma occurs as nodular-ulcerative, pigmented (differentiation from skin melanoma), sclerosis, superficial, fibrous-epithelial.
- Read more: Birthmarks and benign tumors
How to heal?
The most effective treatment is to excise the lesion. How invasive the procedure will be depends on the extent of the lesion and how quickly we notice the disturbing change and speak to the doctor, and this, unfortunately, varies. – The research carried out by TNS OBOP shows that every seventh Pole does not pay attention to the marks on his skin at all, and nearly half are convinced that they do not have any that should be monitored. Meanwhile, a threatening birthmark can appear on any skin at any time. If we want to give ourselves a chance, we should be more vigilant. You need to watch your body and know what birthmarks we already have. Then we can easily spot new ones. It is possible thanks to self-control – says the specialist.
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