Today's blog post is dedicated to my brother. I've learned more about skin cancer in the last month than I ever learned in school. An esthetician is taught to refer a client to a dermatologist if something looks like it might be cancerous and you can't refer someone without knowing the signs. The best prevention for skin cancer is being aware of how to protect your skin. The earlier skin cancer is caught, the better off you are, as it is a serious killer if kept unchecked.
These tips are straight from the CDC and they deal with how to protect your skin from the sun:
The CDC recommends easy options for protection from UV radiation:
- Seek shade, especially during midday hours.
- Wear clothing to protect exposed skin.
- Wear a hat with a wide brim to shade the face, head, ears, and neck.
- Wear sunglasses that wrap around and block as close to 100% of both UVA and UVB rays as possible.
- Use sunscreen with sun protective factor (SPF) 15 or higher, and both UVA and UVB protection.
- Avoid indoor tanning.
Those are great tips for sure, but be aware that not all skin cancer comes from UV radiation. My brother's didn't, his is due to a welding burn that happened over 18 years ago. A tiny spark got inside of his boot, this tiny burn took a long time to heal and when it did it left behind a small mark. Now fast forward about 17.5 years and my brother notices that this tiny dot is now a bit bigger in size, but not much and it's not discolored or anything so he just attributes it to age, like a really light liver spot or the original mark stretching a bit. He has really bad eye site and doesn't often look at his ankle so he isn't really sure how long it has looked like that. A couple of months later and he feels a small bump. That sets off alarms and he goes into the doctor. Fast forward another couple of months and all the testing has led to the diagnosis of stage III malignant melanoma.
Skin cancer can be caused by over exposure to UV rays, but it can also be caused by other things such as these:
- Previous skin cancer
- Previous radiotherapy treatment
- Lowered immunity
- Exposure to chemicals
- Genetic conditions
- Bad burns (there are arguments against this, but I tend to believe it)
- Skin grafts (there are arguments against this, but I tend to believe it)
According to the National Cancer Institute Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States. Each year, more than 68,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma, and another 48,000 are diagnosed with an early form of the disease that involves only the top layer of skin.
When it comes to looking out for skin cancer check your feet, between your toes and under your nails as well as your ears (not places we often look). In men, it’s often found on the skin on the head, on the neck, or between the shoulders and the hips. In women, it’s often found on the skin on the lower legs or between the shoulders and the hips. We seem to have this idea that cancer is going to look like some big, scary mole, but it doesn't start out that way.
I won't post any scary pictures, you can Google them for yourself. This web site has a slideshow of what cancer can look like that will scare the bejesus out of you, but if you think something might be off when it comes to your skin you might want to take a look at it. I will, however, describe some of the things that would make you want to visit your doctor.
If you're wondering what happens when you are diagnosed with skin cancer...well it all depends. The severity of the cancer that you have will be described in stages. Understanding staging is an enormous task in and of itself, because they are many aspects to determining your stage.
The TNM staging system is done first:
- The T indicates the size of the tumor
- The N shows whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes
- The M shows whether the cancer has spread to another part of the body (metastasis)
Once the TNM categories (types) have all been decided, the information is put together to give a number stage of 0 to 4:
- Stage 0 - the cancer is only in the top layer of skin (the epidermis)
- Stage 1 - the cancer is 2cm or less across and has not spread
- Stage 2 - the cancer is more than 2cm across and has not spread
- Stage 3 - the cancer has spread to the tissues under the skin and possibly to nearby lymph node
- Stage 4 - the cancer has spread to another part of the body
In a nutshell, the higher the number, the worse off you are.
Cancer is different for everyone so no matter what stage you're in only you can decide how you want to handle it. There are so many different opinions, even for treatments that have been around a very long time. Once you start discussing anything holistic you will find that some doctors say that you should try anything that you feel will help as long as you follow the standard procedures and others will tell you that anything holistic is a waste of time.. Sometimes the information overload will be overwhelming. Take a deep breathe, try to relax and carry on.
Some of the holistic treatments that I, and others, feel merit some research are the following:
- Cut out sugar. Cancer loves sugar and every doctor will tell you this.
- Detox your body immediately. Eliminate all dairy, sugar and processed foods. Become a vegetarian, eat organic, eat foods that naturally detox the body. Leafy green vegetables, flax seed, and green tea are just some of them.
- Coffee isn't just for drinking when you're battling cancer. Do coffee enemas, they are excellent for detoxing the liver.
- Exercise your body and your mind. You want to be in top physical condition when you start your battle with cancer and you also need to be mentally prepared. Take time out to read and view things for pleasure. Don't obsess about your prognosis, stress is definitely a bad thing.
- Boost your immune system. Most of the treatments for later stage skin cancer is going to wreak havoc on your immune system, so get it as healthy as you can. A raw food diet, using a blender to make smoothies or just eating them raw is best as cooking destroys the immune building properties that you need. There are too many foods that naturally build your immune system to list, but carrots, cabbage, green asparagus, broccoli, red beets (i.e. beetroot), beet tops, cauliflower and related vegetables are amongst them. Peppers also have cancer fighting substances and the spice turmeric can be added as well.
- Look into vitamin C IV drips. I've read so many articles from people studying and treating cancer with vitamin C that it can't be ignored. It's not cheap, it's more effective if it's taken intravenously and insurance is not going to cover it. This is something that you'll have to pay for on your own. Read about it and decide if it is for you.
- If you live in a state where medical marijuana is legal look into hemp oil, which contains cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are a group of 21-carbon–containing terpenophenolic compounds produced uniquely by Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica species (in laymen's terms...pot). Cannabinoids may cause antitumor effects by various mechanisms, including induction of cell death, inhibition of cell growth, and inhibition of tumor angiogenesis invasion and metastasis. (this is from the National Cancer Institute). Once again some will say that it works and others will say that it doesn't. It's your call to decide what you want to do.
So now you know a little bit more about skin cancer (hopefully). Feel free to pass this information on and to add to it if you'd like.
If you have a personal story with cancer and want to share, go for it. I created a Facebook page to share my brother's experience with others and I also created a web site to raise funds for his treatments. Don't be ashamed to ask for help. People out there empathize with you and you are not alone.
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