Informative Speech On Skin Cancer

As an outward sign of beauty, tanned skin has been become a temporary fashionable accessory for the all year round summer look. The artificial skin color gives off an exotic and natural look, and highlight one’s physical traits such as facial structure or eye color. People use different types of machines and processes to tan their bodies such as your traditional sunbathing, spray tanning and tanning beds. They vary based on price points. The resulting appearance of these processes is created by burning and damaging the top layer of the skin. Although a tan may be desirable to many, the fact remains that more people need to be educated on the dangers of the sun’s harmful rays, and the possible health complications of overexposure to artificial or natural sunlight, and chemicals used in the tanning process which if not done properly can result in skin cancer.

There are three main types of skin cancer.

These can be malignant melanomas, basal cell carcinomas, and squamous cell carcinoma. Melanomas are the most common and life threatening ones in our society. By definition, melanomas are a collection of cancerous melanocytes that grow together to form benign moles that develop in the basal layer of the epidermis. These cancerous growths may develop when unrepaired DNA damage to skin cells trigger a mutation that leads to skin cells multiplying rapidly forming malignant tumors. This is due to the overexposure of UVA and UVB radiation that stimulates the production of melanin which is the pigment that determines our skin color. Melanoma is not limited to just your skin, it can form in your eyes and rarely in internal organs such as intestines. “Melanoma kills an estimated 10,130 people in the US annually”.

(Skincancer.org)
Melanoma of the skin can develop anywhere on your body. It can appear as a large mole or lesion on the skin very suddenly or over time. Malignant Melanoma often occurs in adults ages 60 and over. The most often places associated with men are their trunk and lower back. For women, the lower legs tend to be a common place. Though in elderly, sun-damaged persons are more susceptible to forming on the head and neck due to less protection from the sun. This is why it is important for the elderly to wear sunscreen on their heads if they are bald to protect themselves from the sun’s radiation. Melanoma can also occur in areas that do not receive much sun exposure. This includes the sole of your feet, palms of your hands and your fingernail beds although more common with people who have darker pigmented skin. Cancer.org states that; “Melanoma is more than 20 times more common in whites than in African Americans. Overall, the lifetime risk of getting melanoma is about 2.5% (1 in 40) for whites, 0.1% (1 in 1,000) for blacks, and 0.5% (1 in 200) for Hispanics.” (Cancer.org). the explanation being that the more naturally pigmented your skin is, the more protection you are likely to have from the Sun’s UVA and UVB radiation.
There are various ways to detect whether or not you have or are susceptible to skin cancer. When consulting your doctor, your doctor may give you both, or one of two options. You can have your skin examined by your doctor from head to toe or you can take a self-exam which will help you identify and learn about moles, freckles and other skin marks that may be considered normal for you so you can notice any changes from there. Diagnosing Malignant Melanoma can be as simple as looking at your skin. To accurately diagnose melanoma, a biopsy is needed. Biopsies are when all or suspicious growth is removed and analyzed using either the Punch, Excisional or Incisional method. A Punch Biopsy is essentially punching a circular blade around the mole and removing it. Excisional Biopsy is removal of the mole or growth with a bit of surrounding skin attached to it. Incisional Biopsy is only the most irregular part of the mole or growth is sent in for analysis.
Treatment of Melanoma is based solely on the individual and the stage of cancer they are at. “Treatment for early-stage melanomas usually includes surgery to remove the melanoma.” (Mayoclinic.org) this is when the growth or mole is removed all together and no further treatment is necessary. When the cancer has spread beyond the skin, Chemotherapy, Radiation therapy or Biological therapy is necessary. Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to destroy the cancer cells. Radiation therapy uses X-rays to kill cancer cells while Biological therapy boosts your immune system to help your body fight cancer. A combination of the three may also be used.
While there are various ways to detect and treat Malignant Melanoma, the best form of protection is prevention. Avoiding tanning beds and direct sun has the most effective impact of preventing Melanoma from occurring. Wearing sunscreen of at least SPF 15 year round is the second best method of prevention. Wearing protective clothing as well as sunglasses and hats in addition to sunscreen is the best for blocking both UVA and UVB radiation. Becoming familiar with your skin is also very important and inspecting your body for any changes in skin growths or moles.