The diagnosis of skin cancer can be devastating. It is a scary time and you may be wondering what you should do next. If your skin cancer has been detected in its early stages your chance of survival is very good.

It is important that skin cancer be caught early enough to begin removing the skin cancer or stopping it in its tracks. You must do your part to catch your skin cancer. Early stages are your best chance to beat it.

In the first stages of skin cancer you will find out whether you have a non-melanoma skin cancer or a melanoma skin cancer. Early stages for both of these have a very good prognosis for survival. A basal cell carcinoma is very rarely spread beyond a second stage so the prognosis is very good if this is the type of skin cancer that you have.

Being diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer it can be scary. The good news is with early detection the stage I and stage II survival rate is very good, almost 100% for 5 years. However, if it’s found at stage 3 the survival rate drops to 60%. This stresses the importance for early detection, as it’s the biggest cure for melanoma skin cancer.

It is absolutely vital that you regularly check your skin at least once a month. A doctor should also see you regularly so that your skin can be checked as a part of your normal physical. If you notice anything suspicious on your skin you should have it checked out by a doctor immediately. This is especially true if you have a mole or discoloration that is changing shape and or color.

If you have a wound that will not heal, it could possibly be melanoma. Check with your doctor as to what to look for when conducting a self inspection of your skin. Knowing what to look will make it a lot easier to report any condition that may be of concern.

In its early stage, skin cancer can be quite small. The average size is that of a pea. However, skin cancer will grow progressively larger. If left untreated, it will metastasize to other organs and progress throughout the body. As this happens, rate of survival drops exponentially. The more involved the cancer, the more involved methods of treatment become.

Want to find out more about skin cancer detection, then visit William Wallace’s site on how to know theskin cancer warning signs and take action.

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