Skin Cancer & Condition

Skin cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the skin. Each year, about a million people in the United States learn that they have skin cancer.

The two most common kinds of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. (Carcinoma is cancer that begins in the cells that cover or line an organ.) Basal cell carcinoma accounts for more than 90 percent of all skin cancers in the United States. It is a slow-growing cancer that seldom spreads to other parts of the body. Squamous cell carcinoma also rarely spreads, but it does so more often than basal cell carcinoma. However, it is important that skin cancers be found and treated early because they can invade and destroy nearby tissue.

Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are sometimes called nonmelanoma skin cancer. Another type of cancer that occurs in the skin is melanoma, which begins in the melanocytes.

The skin conditioning screening uses a non-harmful ultra-violet light to determine the sensitivity, dryness and conditions of an individual's facial skin. Sun, soaps, and other pollutants can have a negative impact on skin, which could eventually result in skin cancer. This test is completely safe and allows both the patient and the health care staff to personally view the condition of an individual's facial skin. Each individual will receive a one-page report showing the condition of his or her facial skin. Each individual will also receive information on skin cancer and how to perform self-checks.

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