I’m a GP – here are the 5 skin cancer red flags you must know
IT looks like summer has finally reached the UK - and it could be here to stay.
This weekend, part of England reached a a blistering 28C.
And next weekend, temperatures are set to be around the same mark.
While it can be wonderful to bask in the heat and get your tan on, the sun's rays can bring a real danger of skin cancer.
There are various forms of skin cancer that generally fall under non-melanoma and melanoma.
Non-melanoma skin cancers, diagnosed a combined 147,000 times a year in the UK, kill around 720 people a year in the UK.
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While melanoma is diagnosed 16,000 times a year, but is the most serious type that has a tendency to spread around the body.
The deadly cancer takes the lives of 2,340 people per year, according to.
Like with any cancer, survival rates are best when the illness is detected fast.
One expert has warned that of the five early warning signs of melanoma that we all need to be on guard for.
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Dr Nikita Patel, GP and associate medical director at said the most common sign of melanoma is the appearance of a new mole or a change in an existing mole anywhere on the body.
She said: "Skin cancers most often develop on areas that are more regularly exposed to the sun, including the scalp, face, lips, ears, neck, chest, arms and hands, and on the legs in women.
"But it’s worth being aware that skin cancers can also form on areas that rarely see the light of day — your palms, beneath your fingernails or toenails, your mouth and your genital area."
The five signs are:
- A mole that's a irregular shape
- A mole with an irregular or jagged border
- A mole which is an uneven colour
- The mole is larger than a pea
- A mole which has suddenly changed in any way
"Has (the mole) it started oozing or bleeding? Has it started become itchy or painful? These are all good reasons to seek an opinion from your GP," she said.
"If possible, keep a diary of the lesion, how it has changed, use a ruler to measure it and take regular photos," DR Nikita added.
It's key that you wear sunscreen, even when it's overcast as the UV rays can get through the clouds and cause deadly skin cancer.
It's also worth avoiding the sun between 10am and 4pm - as this is when sun rays are at their strongest.
Signs of non-melanoma skin cancer to know
The first sign of non-melanoma skin cancer is usually the appearance of a lump or discoloured patch on the skin, the NHS says.
It persists after a few weeks and slowly progresses over months or sometimes years.
In most cases, cancerous lumps are red and firm and sometimes turn into ulcers. Cancerous patches are usually flat and scaly.
The two most common types of non-melanoma skin cancer are basal cell cancer and squamous cell carcinoma.
Basal cell cancer (BCC)
Basal cell cancer (BCC) is sometimes referred to as a rodent ulcer, and this affects the outermost layers of cells in the skin.
Signs of BCCs include a skin growth that:
- Looks smooth and pearly
- Seems waxy
- Looks like a firm, red lump
- Sometimes bleeds
- Develops a scab or crust
- Never completely heals
- Is itchy
- Looks like a flat red spot and is scaly and crusty
- Develops into a painless ulcer
Around 75 per cent of all skin cancers are BCCs. These are typically slow-growing and almost never spread to other parts of the body.
If treated at an early stage, this form of skin cancer is usually completely cured.
If they do become more aggressive, BCCs may spread into the deeper layers of the skin and into the bones - which can make treating it more difficult.
Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)
Another form of non-melanoma skin cancer is squamous cell carcinoma.
This is a cancer of the keratinocyte cells which are in the outer layer of the skin.
These cells are mainly found on the face, neck, bald scalps, arms, backs of hands and lower legs.
A lump on the skin may:
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- Appear scaly
- Have a hard, crusty cap
- Be raised
- Be tender to touch
- Bleed sometimes
Non-melanoma skin cancer most often develops on areas of skin regularly exposed to the sun, such as the face, ears, hands, shoulders, upper chest and back.