Every summer the media is perpetuated with warnings about skin cancer, and especially for those of us who live up in the north. Most of us are under the impression that skin cancer only effects those who live in places like Florida, or far off in Australia. For those of you it might be important to note, skin cancer has one of the highest numbers of fatality out of all the western world's most preventable diseases.

The largest reason this is the case is because we all fail to read the warning signs. I'm sure if I could take a pole it would show that the vast majority of readers have never even heard of actinic keratosis, yet is one of the most dangerous of all skin conditions as it often leads to cancer. So how do we escape skin cancer? First we must learn a thing or two about actinic keratosis. Only then can we learn how to detect it, treat it, and most importantly prevent it.

WHAT IS ACTINIC KERATOSIS?

For those of you who are unaware of actinic keratosis, or more commonly known as solar keratosis, it begins as a scaly or crusty bump that arises on the skin's surface. The bottom of the lump may be light or dark, tan, pink, red, a combination of these, or the same color as your skin. It can become itchy, inflamed and in some cases may even bleed.

The lesion develops slowly and generally reaches the size of an eighth to a quarter of an inch, and a high quantity may appear at the same time. Actinic keratosis is most likely to appear on the face, ears, scalp, neck, backs of the hands and forearms, shoulders, and lips. Basically, parts of the body most often exposed to sunshine. Studies have also shown the propensity to encounter up to 10 times as many subclinical (invisible) lesions as visible, surface lesions.

WHY IS IT DANGEROUS?

Actinic keratosis is frequently viewed as the infancy of skin cancer which is why it is so commonly referred to as a precancer. When left untreated, about two to five percent of these lesions may progress to squamous cell carcinomas and the greater the prevalence of keratosis, the larger the risk that one or more may turn into skin cancer.

HOW IT CAN BE PREVENTED

- Avoid unnecessary sun exposure, especially during the sun's peak hours

- Shield yourself with clothing, including a broad-brimmed hat, long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and UV-blocking sunglasses

- Apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher

- Appraise your skin from head to toe once every month.

- Visit a skin professional for appraisal every year

- Act swiftly on the discovery of any abnormalities and unusual inflammations

- Exfoliate dead skin cells and apply moisturizing cream every day

ALTERNATIVE SKIN CANCER PREVENTION AND TREATMENT

Due to the fact skin cancer can be formed from the dry, scaly inflammation patches experienced with actininc keratosis, daily maintenance of the skin can be extremely assisting. The frequent application of an irritation-free moisturizer will remove any itchiness or irritation experienced. Also, the daily application of a non-toxic exfoliate is an effective treatment for keratosis because the premalignant skin cells are broken away from the skin, stimulating the growth of new, healthy cells.