Skin Cancer Can be benign or malignant The most common factor leading to skin cancer is overexposure to UV radiation in sunlight

Basal Cell Carcinoma Least malignant and most common Affects the basal layer Spread is so slow that 99% of cases are solved by surgically removing the lesion (cancer causing)

Basal Cell Carcinoma

Squamous Cell Carcinoma Affects the spinous layer Can rapidly spread to nearby lymph nodes and other healthy tissues/organs Early detection and surgical removal usually leads to full recovery

Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Malignant Melanoma Cancer of melanocytes (skin pigments) Caused by overexposure to the sun Accounts for only ~5% of skin cancers, but is frequently deadly Doctors use the ABCD rule for recognizing melanoma

ABCD rule A) Asymmetry: the two sides of spot or mole do not match B) Border irregularity: borders of the lesion are not smooth C) Color: spot contains different colors (blacks, tans, browns, blues, reds) D) Diameter: spot is larger than 6 mm in diameter (the size of a pencil eraser)

Malignant Melanoma

How does our skin change as we age?

Developmental Aspects of the Skin Throughout our entire lives, our skin is constantly undergoing changes

Aged Skin Subcutaneous tissue is reduced Skin becomes drier as sebaceous glands lose function Collagen and elastin fibers break down, resulting in wrinkles Hair follicles decline, resulting in thinning of hair and baldness