Skin Cancer Symptom Photo

The Skin Cancer Symptom Photo as an Early Detection Tool

Early detection is extremely important in the successful treatment of skin cancer and in many cases can avoid the necessity of aggressive therapies which cause more severe side effects. Resources should be made available for the patient to take an active role in early detection, but this should go beyond the skin cancer symptom photo. People should be encouraged to make certain behavioral changes to prevent and detect skin cancer, such as learning some general information, avoiding risk factors, performing self-examinations, and making frequent visits to their doctors.

If a person finds a suspicious skin irregularity by chance and does not immediately recognize it as a skin cancer warning sign, they may wait too long to see a doctor, hoping it will heal on its own. This is a case in which a person can benefit from seeing photos of skin tumors. However, an irregularity of the skin which appears to be skin cancer may in some cases be a completely different condition, and if a person wrongly self-diagnoses skin cancer they may panic without need. Seeing images of skin cancer can be beneficial in the sense that it lets you know when you need to see a doctor, but it’s more effective to encourage people to visit their doctors regularly, especially when they do find something that looks suspicious, but without panicking. Ideally, people need to have access to consistent health care and the ability to see a doctor for regular checkups regardless of illness, this way if they find any irregularities they can ask a doctor’s preliminary opinion “while they’re there”.

Public dialogue concerning skin cancer mostly involves prevention and not early detection, with the basic message being that people should wear sunscreen, avoid peak hours of sunlight, avoid sunburns, and do not excessively tan or use tanning beds. A recent study has shown that tanning beds are a significant risk factor for melanoma, which is the severest form of skin cancer. The message of early detection is not getting out. Everyone has heard of breast examinations, but relatively few people know that they should also perform regular skin self-examinations. This is an extremely effective and important tool, because since it appears on the skin, it can be detected early enough that it can generally be surgically removed, and additional treatment may not be necessary.

A skin cancer symptom photo can be very useful in giving a person a general idea of what to look for during a skin examination, but they do need to know some general information as well. People need to understand the difference between melanoma and nonmelanoma symptoms, and they especially need to know the connection between melanoma and moles or nevi, and that dysplastic or irregular nevi need special attention. Photos are helpful, but people need to know that with dysplastic nevi, any change warrants a visit to their doctor. - By Adam Hefner

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