With more than one million cases diagnosed annually, skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer. The good news is that skin cancer can generally be successfully treated if diagnosed early. Early diagnosis is often possible because there are warning signs that may appear before cancer actually begins to develop. One of these warning signs is actinic keratosis (AK)—a skin condition that is believed to be a precursor to certain types of skin cancer. Although generally harmless, actinic keratosis may be the first sign of a more serious medical condition, which is why it is important that you examine your skin on a regular basis and seek medical advice and treatment should you identify any irregularities in your skin.

With thousands of new cases diagnosed annually, skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Although skin cancer is extremely prevalent there is good news! Skin cancer is rarely lethal, with an extremely high recovery rate when diagnosed early. Even more important, because most types of skin cancer have been linked to long-term sun exposure, you can take steps to reduce the likelihood that you will be diagnosed with skin cancer. In this animation, you will learn not only what skin cancer is and how it develops, but also what you can do to prevent it as well as the treatment options available to those who have been diagnosed.

The sun provides the light and warmth that sustains life on Earth. However, as nearly everyone experiences, there can be too much of a good thing, especially when it comes to the sun on your skin. Spending too much time in the sun leads to sunburn, which can range from painful and annoying, to potentially life threatening. Repeated exposure to the sun’s rays damages skin by accelerating the skin aging process and also increases the risk for developing skin cancer. Fortunately, you can avoid sunburn and minimize your risk of sun damage to your skin by taking a few preventative steps.

Most people today are aware of at least some of the damaging effects that sunlight has on the skin. In addition to painful sunburns, excessive exposure to sunlight can cause sun damage that prematurely ages the skin, causes blemishes, and greatly increases the risk of various types of skin cancer. Unfortunately, although we know protecting uncovered skin is important, with a large variety of sunscreens, sunblocks, lotions, gels, sprays, mists, and sticks marketed in different strengths and for different purposes, it can be difficult to determine how to best protect yourself.

Skin cancer is becoming more prevalent, and it is estimated that about twenty percent of people worldwide will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. Fortunately, skin cancer has a high recovery rate and is rarely lethal when diagnosed and treated early. For certain types of skin cancer, the treatment recognized as having the highest cure rate is known as Mohs micrographic surgery, or simply, Mohs surgery. The Mohs surgery technique incrementally removes cancerous tissue while sparing as much healthy tissue as possible.