If you're like thousands of other people around the world, you probably have a mole somewhere on your body. Many moles come either right at birth or immediately following and they are congenital nevus.
There are blue moles, raised moles, moles that are only on the surface of the skin, called junctional moles, moles on the dermis called dermal nevus and moles that have connections to both the epidermis and dermis, called compound nevus. Moles can be brown, black, blue, red, and translucent or flesh tone.
They are large, small, symmetrical and asymmetrical. The can be benign moles or cancerous moles. The problem with all this is that some benign moles have a tendency to become cancerous moles. When a mole shows traits that include a regular border, consistent color, smooth edges, distinct edges and grow larger, they change from common nevus to dysplastic nevi or atypical moles.
These types of moles tend to be the ones that develop into melanoma, cancer. If you checked everyone in the world, you'd find that 5 percent of the people have this type of mole. If you checked people with skin cancer, you'd find that 30 percent of that population had dysplastic nevi. The surface of these moles may even feel "pebbly" or be scaly.
Genetics plays an important role in the development of dysplastic nevi. If your parents had a lot of atypical moles, the chance of you having them also occurs. This may come from the amount of melanin in the skin or the genetic code for the basic cell structure.
Age also plays a role in the development of dysplastic nevi. Things never work as well when you're old as they did when you were younger, and this is true of the skin cells.
Exposure to sunlight is another cause of atypical moles that tend to develop into skin cancer. While the exact reason is yet unknown, it's hypothesized that excessive UV rays changes the cellular structure. Scientists already know that it causes premature aging of the skin and damage. There is some evidence that lead scientists to this conclusion without ever having to know the inner working of the sun on the skin cell changes. The first is that unexposed areas, like the rump, seldom have dysplastic nevi.
Secondly, groups of people with more melanin, darker skinned people, usually have fewer moles. The extra melanin deflects the sun's UV rays. Finally, scientists can draw a conclusion that the sun affects the melanin, the substance in moles, by looking at freckles. The more sun exposure some people have, the more freckles they get.
So, what do you do to insure that you don't have a cancerous mole? First, if you have a history of skin cancer in your family and a lot of moles, you might want to see a skin specialist. Look for signs that indicate changes in the mole. The signs include a change in the border, the size of the mole, the development of blotchy coloring or change color, change in the border or bleeding. Most melanomas are actually new moles on areas that had no mole prior. The edges are frequently jagged and irregular. Change and bleeding are the key words to remember for cancerous moles.
If you're uncertain about a mole, never postpone a visit to the dermatologist until you're certain. Melanoma is a fast spreading cancer and the sooner you identify it, the easier it is to cure.
By Matt Petigrew
Cancerous Mole
Posted by straycat at 19:19 1 comments
6 Secrets To A Painless Mammogram
Mammograms can be life-saving. They can also be prohibitively painful to some women. Here are six tips to make your mammogram hurt less.
1. Have your mammogram when you don't have much breast engorgement. (For most women, this means the two weeks after menstruation has finished but the time varies with the individual. Other women might find day 18 to 22 after the first day of menstruation more appropriate)
2. Use as little salt as possible for a week before the test. Again, this will reduce the extent of breast engorgement for most women and hence the pain associated with the compression required for the test.
3.Taking 400 international units of vitamin E for 3 weeks before the test. Why this works has not been documented. However, this works frequent enough for you to try out.
4. Using simple analgesics like paracetamol, aspirin, diclofenac one hour before the test, provided you don't have an allergy to these. These have to be taken after food.
5. Drink green juice, made from green apples, capsicums, celery, bitter melons and cucumbers on alternate days for a week before the test. This is a little secret one of my patients shared with me. This green juice is also helpful for breast pain in general. Make sure you don't drink this more frequent than suggested as it may lead to hypotension or even dizziness.
6. Tell the radiographer when you feel pain during the test. The radiographer does have some lee-way to adjust the degree of compression of the breasts against the x-ray plates.
Whatever you do, don't skip the mammogram if advised by your doctor.
Posted by straycat at 11:31 1 comments
Labels: A Painless Mammogram
Breast Cancer - The One Thing You Must Do Immediately If You Have Got Breast Cancer Again
Today Susan told me that she got breast cancer again. She has only been out of chemotherapy and radiation treatment for ten months. The tumor is back again. It breaks my heart to hear that. I know she has a five year old daughter.
Susan is a good friend of mine. I know here since high school. I also know her lovely daughter Mary. Mary is just five years old but she already understands that her mother has a serious disease. Susan had a very hard time telling her what has happened again. That the cancer has returned. That she is very sick. How can a child handle all that?
I do not even want to imagine what this means to this family again. After the first shock I told Susan what I always tell women with breast cancer. There are even stage IV breast cancer victims that still survive for many years and live a rich life. This has not be to be the end. Susan has to live.
It is important to fight and not to give up. It is important to stay enthusiastic against all odds. I am a strong believer in the healing power of our body. Today every doctor will tell you that positive and joyful thoughts improve your overall health and strengthen your immune system.
I know it is difficult. It seems almost impossible to stay happy facing a deadly disease. But exactly at this point, right now, your body needs you. Everybody can be happy if everything is ok. So, do not give up. Enjoy each day. Do not regret anything. Life live to the full.
Highly Recommended Reading:
Breast Cancer Survivor Stories
Roselyn Capen is an expert author on breast cancer topics. Her articles about breast cancer symptoms, causes and treatments have been published on numerous web sites, forums, blogs and ezines all over the Internet.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roselyn_Capen
Posted by straycat at 23:28 1 comments
Labels: Breast Cancer
