What Does Skin Cancer Look Like

Skin cancer is an abnormality in skin cells caused by mutations in cell DNA, which make cell growth fast, the age of cells is longer and cells lose their basic properties. Skin cancer generally occurs in parts of the skin that are often exposed to sunlight, but this condition can also occur in parts of the skin that are not directly exposed to sunlight.

Based on the type of cell being attacked, skin cancer is divided into three types, namely:

1. Melanoma. This is a skin cancer that occurs on the part of melanocytes or cells that produce skin pigments. Melanoma skin cancer is a skin cancer that is rare, but dangerous.

2. Non-melanoma skin cancer. This is skin cancer that occurs in skin tissue other than melanocytes. Non-melanoma skin cancer is divided into two types as follows:

• Basal Cell Carcinoma, BCC, which is skin cancer that occurs in the lower part of the epidermis. Basal cell cancer is the most common type of non-melanoma cancer in humans.
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma, SCC, which is skin cancer that occurs in the upper part of the epidermis. Squamous cell cancer is quite common, but the frequency is not as much as basal cell cancer.

Symptoms of Skin Cancer

Skin cancer generally occurs in areas that are often exposed to sunlight such as the scalp, face, lips, ears, neck, chest, arms, and legs. But in some cases, skin cancer can also occur in areas that are rarely exposed to sunlight such as in the palms and feet, the bottom of the finger, even in the genital area. Skin cancer can occur in anyone, including people who have dark skin color. The symptoms of skin cancer differ for each type. The general picture is as follows:

1. Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC). BCC generally occurs in areas that are often exposed to sunlight such as the neck or face. Symptoms of basal cell cancer include:

• Soft and shiny lumps on the skin.
• Flat lesions on dark brown or reddish brown skin like flesh.

2. Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC). SCC also generally occurs in areas of the skin that are exposed to sunlight. But in people with dark skin, squamous cell cancer often occurs on the skin in parts of the body that are rarely exposed to sunlight. Symptoms of SCC in general are as follows.

• Hard red bumps on the skin.
• Lesions on the skin that are flat and hard scaly like a crust.

3. Melanoma. Melanoma can grow on any part of the skin, whether on normal skin or on existing moles that turn malignant. In men, melanoma cancer usually appears on the face and body. Whereas in women, melanoma appears more often in the lower limbs. Both men and women, melanoma can appear on the part of the skin that is not exposed to sunlight. Melanoma can be experienced by anyone regardless of skin color. In people with dark skin, melanoma generally occurs in the palms of the hands or feet and the bottom of the fingers or toes. Symptoms of melanoma that generally occur are as follows:

• The lump is brown with black spots on the lump.
• Moles that experience changes in color and size or bleed.
• The appearance of small lesions on the skin with irregular edges, or lesions in red, white, blue, and blackish blue.
• The appearance of dark lesions on the palms, soles of the feet, tips of fingers or toes.
• The appearance of dark lesions on the mucous membrane in the mouth, nose, vagina, or anus.

The following is a list of ABCDE regarding the characteristics of melanoma to distinguish it from ordinary moles.

• Asymmetric. The form of melanoma is generally asymmetrical when compared to ordinary moles.
• Border. The edges of the melanoma are usually squiggly, not round like normal moles.
• Color (color). The color of melanoma is a combination of two or more colors.
• The diameter of the melanoma is generally more than 6 mm.
• Enlargement. Melanoma will enlarge over time.