One of the commonest types of cancer these days is skin cancer, or more to be more exact, the 3 cancers involving the skin since there are 3 chief kinds of skin cancer.

The most commonly encountered and least dangerous is what is known as a rodent ulcer ( or basal cell carcinoma). Then we see a skin cancer referred to as Squamous cell carcinoma. Lastly we come to what I would say is the most talked about sort of skin cancer called malignant melanoma. This is the most deadly but happily also the rarest type of skin cancer.

Whilst malignant melanoma is the rarest, because it is the most serious, it is worthwhile taking a brief look at just what it is. This particular cancer accounts for more or less 1% of cancers and is a tumor in the cells that create melanin, the melancytes. Melanin is the pigment which creates your sun tan and which gives your skin the color it has normally. It is also responsible for the color of your eyes and your hair which means that malignant melanoma can also affect the eyes in addition to the skin.

It is reassuring to learn that presently skin melanomas are very uncommon in children but, because 50 percent of all the sun exposure that the skin will get occurs before the age of 18 and, due to the time it needs to develop, it is important to prevent your kids from getting too much sun.

With rising pollution, the diminishing ozone layer and additional knowledge about what ultra violet rays can really do, there is a growing realization that sun exposure can be extremely harmful for us and that we should safeguard ourselves from these ultra violet rays. It is undoubted that it is the sun which is producing these problems because the number of people having skin cancer varies based on country. As an example, the tropical countries that have a large Caucasian population show the highest number of cases of skin cancer. Countries such as South Africa and Australia, as well as the lower American states, with loads of sunshine and Caucasian populations show levels of skin cancer which are directly proportionate with the quantity of sunlight and the size of their Caucasian population.

Darker skin types like those seen in individuals who have an African American or Asian background get more effective protection from the sunlight owing to their darker skin coloring.

UV light is an element of the sunshine and it is that element that produces the problem. UV light comes in different forms although they are all essentially harmful for pale skin and even more so for babies and young children who are greatly at risk as they have thinner skin than adults.

The instances of skin cancer have doubled every 10 years for the last 40 years. This fits with the arrival of lower priced vacation trips to sunnier climates and now that such vacations are more widely available and sunbathing has become such a popular past time, skin cancer cases are set to go on increasing unless people start to take the appropriate steps to stop themselves from getting burnt by ultra violet from the sun.

SkinCancerFacts.org presents answers to a range of questions about skin cancer and is a great skin cancer resource center for individuals suffering from or worried about this affliction.

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