Age spots can affect one’s self confidence. It is also perceived that age spots can cause cancer. But before jumping into conclusions, you have to know some basic things about age spots and skin cancer, and see how they are related to each other.
Age spots, also called sun spots are common when one ages. The more sunlight the skin absorbs, the more likely that age spots will appear on that area. It can be concluded that aging is not only the cause when it comes to developing age spots. It happens that damaged melanocytes (the cells which gives us our skin pigment) accumulates together, thus forming these pigmented spots on skin.
Skin cancer however is not only caused by sunlight. There is smoking tobacco, exposure to caustic chemicals like arsenic. Heredity is another factor. There are three basic types of cancer, sorted by the skin cells they affect. Namely, they are melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma. Other kinds of skin cancers are also present, but the most common of them are to be tackled here.
Can cancers happen from age spots? The answer is still uncertain, but since both age spots and skin cancer have a common factor, which is excessive exposure to the sun’s harmful rays, there could be a chance. It could happen if age spots are overlooked.
The risk of dying from skin cancer is little because it can be sensed early. Wounds that do not heal, skin wounds which change in color and size and moles with irregular shapes are the indicators of skin cancer. You should watch out for those moles that have uneven borders and weird colors. Sometimes, age spots hinder the detection of melanoma, so it is sometimes associated to skin cancer.
Now, how can you prevent these age spots from turning into skin cancer, or prevent it from obstructing the detection of skin cancer? First, you have to limit your sun exposure. The heat of the sun is at its peak during noontime, so try not to go out during those times. Having age spots gone can also lower your risks. Using sunscreens is also a way to thwart too much UV radiation absorption. Bringing an umbrella is a wise decision. You can prevent skin cancer if you do something about it.
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