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[music] Hello, I’m Dr. Neal Schultz
[pause]
and welcome to DermTV.
It’s May, which is skin cancer awareness month, so you’ve probably heard a
lot about preventing skin cancer by using sunscreen everyday. But hopefully
you’re also hearing about preventing skin cancer by getting regular exams
to discover skin cancer early - when it’s just a pre-cancer - which is the
time at which its easiest to cure. But what exactly are pre-cancers? Simply
put: A pre-cancer is an abnormal spot that's not yet dangerous but probably
will become a skin cancer if not removed. But let’s now discuss the three
types of skin cancers and their pre-cancerous forms. The first type of skin
cancer is a Basal Cell Cancer, which actually doesn’t have a pre-cancerous
form. Luckily, it’s also the least dangerous type of skin cancer because it
doesn’t travel to other parts of your body. The second type of skin cancer
is Squamous Cell Carcinoma and its pre-cancerous form is called an actinic
keratosis. Let me explain this name. Actinic just means related to
sunlight. Keratosis means thickening of the upper “keratin” layer of the
skin. So an Actinic Keratosis is a pre-cancerous sun induced thickening of
the upper layer of skin. Given enough time, an actinic keratosis usually
becomes a squamous cancer. It’s usually small, less than ½ inch, pale pink,
and sometimes with little red dots, flaky and can even feel sandpapery. The
third skin cancer is Melanoma and its pre-cancerous form is a Dysplastic
Nevus. Dysplastic means irregular growing, and nevus is a technical term
for moles and birthmarks… so a Dysplastic Nevus is an irregular growing and
looking mole. They’re tan to brown, but sometimes almost black and usually
have irregular borders. They can be match-head size or even up to ½ inch.
So both Actinic Keratoses and Dysplastic Nevi are pre-cancers that can
become skin cancers. They both can be identified early by your
Dermatologist if you get regular skin exams. And they can also be removed
to prevent you from getting an actual skin cancer. Now THAT’S a great form
of preventative medicine.