Skin cancer is such a disease that can occur to any individual. The medical experts till today could not specify the age group of occurrence. They could not either successfully reduce the chances of occurrence because every year the statistics of cancer patients is increasing. Skin cancer is not as harmful as the other types of cancers. The cancerous cells usually affect the other normal cells and impair the normal functioning of the organs. Hence cancer spreads to the other organs also. But a patient suffering from skin cancer does not face the same hazard. But yet a person experiences a very discomfort feeling because the skin is of the body is affected. The skin cancer is divided into two types. The type of skin depends upon the origination of the cells. In the United States the incidence has become so high that almost 1 million of the people are prone to skin cancer every year.

The symptoms of the cancers are usually not noted earlier. Initially, the cancer grows is the form of precancerous lesions known as dysplasia. This tumor is not a cancer but later on it develops cancerous cells within them. These tumors are actually benign in nature and the treatment of the tumors is also easy. But in case, they are neglected for a long period of time they becomes malignant. when the cancer has developed then it spreads to the other organs and affects the normal functioning of the skin.

There are three main categories of skin cancer. They are Basal Cell Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma and melanoma. Melanoma occurs rarely and the rate of occurrence of BCC and SCC is 90% of the total cancers. These two types do not spread to the other organs thus impairing their normal functioning. But melanoma has the property of metastazing. Metastazing means spreading of the cancerous cells to the other organs. When SCC is caused then outer lining of the elliptical cells is affected. The BCC and SCC both the diseases are treated in the same way. Melanoma, as the disease is severe compared to the two diseases, it is treated with chemotherapy techniques because the disease is often spread to the other cells.

Like the other cancers, one should be aware of the skin cancer symptoms and hence we can start the treatment as early as possible. Till today, no one knows the exact symptoms that can be noticed before the occurance of skin cancer, but factors like hereditary, earlier skin cancers can cause cancer easily. One should be aware of these factors. If somebody from the family is already suffering from skin cancer then the other members should take care of. The skin cancer originates from the moles of the skin that is known as dysplastic nevi. The disease is more easily caused to people who are aged. Now-a-days due to the sun exposure and the high level of radiation released by the sun or UV factors skin cancer can be caused very easily. One should avoid the sun burns or apply ointments that protect you from the harmful radiations of the sun.

But yet, the organizations such as WHO are taking steps to reduce the chances of these cancers. In this way, the people all over the world are becoming aware of the spread of the disease. If a person has any doubt regarding his skin problem, he must immediately visit the doctor and take treatments as frequently as possible.

Summer is a time for swimming, outings, picnics, and fun. But it's also the best time to get a bad sunburn or worse, a bad case of skin cancer.

Adequate sunlight helps your body make vitamin D but too much can kill you. Aside from premature aging, wrinkles and cataracts, long-term exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays causes skin cells to grow abnormally and develop into a tumor that can be cancerous.

The most common types of skin cancers are basal cell and squamous cell cancers. Melanoma is less common but more serious. This usually occurs in the fourth or fifth decade of life but 80 to 90 percent of sun-related damage that leads to melanoma occurs before the age of 18.

"There are three major types of skin cancer - basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma. Basal cell carcinomas and most squamous cell carcinomas are slow growing and highly treatable, especially if found early. Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer. It affects deeper layers of the skin and has the greatest potential to spread to other tissues in the body. Squamous cell carcinoma also can spread internally," according to the Mayo Clinic.

In the United States alone, there are over one million cases of skin cancer reported every year and thousands of deaths annually. This year, the Skin Cancer Foundation estimates that over 59,000 melanomas will be diagnosed and 8,810 people will die of the disease.

At risk are those who spend too much time under the sun like laborers, farmers, sailors as well as students undergoing military training, scouts, campers, athletes, sunbathers, and swimmers.

Others who need adequate sun protection are the elderly who have thin skin and are more vulnerable to the sun's deadly rays, babies with delicate skin that burns easily, those taking drugs like diuretics, tranquilizers, and antibiotics, and those applying astringents.

"Skin cancer begins in your skin's top layer - the epidermis. The epidermis is as thin as a pencil line, and it provides a protective layer of skin cells that your body continually sheds. Normally, skin cells within the epidermis develop in a controlled and orderly way. In general, healthy new cells push older cells toward the skin's surface, where they die and eventually are sloughed off. This process is controlled by DNA - the genetic material that contains the instructions for every chemical process in your body," the Mayo Clinic said

"Skin cancer occurs when this process malfunctions. When DNA is damaged, changes occur in the instructions, which can cause new cells to grow out of control and form a mass of cancer cells," it added.

Fair-skinned individuals are more likely to develop malignant melanoma but that's no reason for those with dark skin to rejoice. While people with dark skin have more melanin pigment which protects them from burning, experts say melanin-rich complexions are not immune from the sun's harmful rays. The longer you stay under the sun, the greater your risk of getting skin cancer regardless of the color of your skin.