Skin Cancer A Public Health Problem Around The World

This information is stratified as follows: 60,190 in men and 40,160 in women. It is calculated according to the established figures that about 6,850 people will die from melanoma, the general population being affected, without distinction of age, race, gender, or social condition.

When referring to skin cancer, it is essential to have an approach with those factors that are undoubtedly associated with its appearance. The first of them, the genetic condition, related to the individual predisposition to suffer from some typology in the face of this condition. Exposure to the environment is also found as a second cause, which is caused by an excess, in the first years of life, to face intense temperatures, with sunlight being the main agent.

Another of the decisive circumstances, translates into the type of skin of women and men. That is why it is obvious that those who have white complexions, blond hair and light eyes, a condition known in dermatology as a "phenotypic trait", are people who have a latent risk of suffering from this cancer compared to the common denominator of the population. It is essential not to forget that the elderly fall within this contingency, since their biological protection processes in the cells of the body begin to decrease, which causes any of them to present damage and trigger the tumor.

For Dr. Mauricio José Ortiz Ruiz, dermatologist oncologist and surgeon at Mohs, the tanning chambers, in recent years, have strongly affected the epidermis of women, especially because their beauty patterns have demanded to go to them, at times, in an uncontrolled way, which has exposed the female community to an eminent and universally recognized risk.

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Although skin cancer, as manifested by the specialist in its early stages, does not produce specific symptoms, since they can go unnoticed, for example, lesions that produce an apparent itch or scab on the surface of the wound, which is true, says Dr. Ortiz, is that as the lesions grow "changes in their shape, size, color and the most manifest symptoms such as constant bleeding become evident, they generate an alarm for immediate consultation". This requires focused attention on the evolution of the wound, either because it has been had throughout life or it appears suspiciously and begins to present modifications, specifically in the short term.

Early detection enables real-time recovery

In itself, as it has been showing me, skin cancer responds in its understanding to a complex area due to its multiple causes, however, Dr. Ortiz affirms that in 95% this condition comes from three frequent classes that occur and they attack the human system, "basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma". It also adds that it is essential to identify the one that corresponds according to the case study, since normally the evolution of these tumors, the prognosis and the treatment present different characteristics and therapeutic approaches that differ from each other.

Now, if the issue to consider at this point has to do with the recovery that can be achieved in correlation with this condition, there is an iota of hope in the face of a disease that takes, in a way, in some silent circumstances, life of thousands of people and understand that in its early detection there is a difference between overcoming and the risk of death, “it is a tumor that has a possibility of curative treatment, which is generally surgical treatment, that is, to remove the injury with a designed technique. For this purpose, and if the cancer is not advanced, it is curable. Even aggressive cancers like melanoma, if they are removed in their early stages, they have a very high probability of being cured."

That is why it is emphasized that the improvement, after going through skin cancer, is a possibility that women have and its effectiveness, in the words of the specialist, depends on the fact that there are no other diseases that exacerbate it or have an immune system committed. In other words, that the person takes medications for certain ailments or perhaps their body has additional disorders that may impede their progress.

Mohs technique a solution that contributes to the repair

When uncertainty, concern and questions spring to the minds of those who are diagnosed with skin cancer, they search, almost frantically, for answers to achieve the restoration of health, without being exposed to invasive treatments or suddenly to medicine that does not generate the expected results. Although the Mohs technique is an alternative for patients, it is important to understand, as supported by Dr. Mauricio José Ortiz Ruiz, that it constitutes a “surgical technique designed for the treatment of skin cancers, located in very sensitive areas of the body cosmetically speaking like the face, the area of ​​the eyes, nose, mouth, ears and even the fingers of the hands.”

This procedure consists of extracting the tumor, allowing specific cuts of the skin tissue, that is, it avoids extracting skin in healthy conditions and taking only those layers that will allow the corresponding examination. Later, with other processes, the affected area is repaired, either with a skin flap, grafts or direct closures in the wound. "The technique offers a complete analysis, it allows saving healthy tissue so as not to have to make more complex reconstructions," Dr. Ortiz pointed out.

Prevention at an early age: the starting point

It is estimated that the prevention process for skin cancer in women should begin, practically in childhood, by promoting protection activities for exposure to UV radiation, the use of sunscreen applied appropriately and regularly on the parts of the body exposed, in addition to the use of protective clothing when carrying out work outdoors.

On the other hand, it is necessary to avoid tanning with sunlight, as it can induce burns that damage skin cells, this being a similar effect that is found as a sequel in tanning chambers.

Assuming habits is the formula, says the specialist, because if awareness is generated from childhood, promoting self-care, surely in adulthood, beyond an imposition or suggestions that sometimes feel like a form of pressure, the measures will be internalized spontaneously and as part of a lifestyle. In this sense, it is important to incorporate routines for beneficial nutrition, physical exercise, eliminating excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages and cigarettes.

And although there is basic evidence, still under study, that stress can also contribute to skin cancer, since "it generates substances in the body called reactive oxygen species or oxidizing substances, which has shown that it is likely that it has an implication in the damage caused to the cells” it is a priority to clarify, according to what Dr. Ortiz says, that in addition to exhaustion, it would be necessary to link several factors to cause a condition of this nature.

Not surprisingly, the recommendation is transparent in this scenario, prevent stress. Although it seems difficult, try it because it can be the starting point of a disease that may not have a reverse. At the end of the day, the priority is to understand that "you can regain confidence, because there is a cure" and it all depends on the path you decide to travel.