Skin Cancer Nose

Hidden Skin Cancer - Nose, Nails and More

Where we get skin cancer-

• Nose
• Fingernails
• Forehead or other sites

Locations for Skin Cancer - Nose and Face

Skin cancer of the face can be one of the most difficult kinds to treat. If the cancer appears on larger areas of the face, it's easy to remove. Cancer of the scalp forehead, or cheek can usually be removed with surgery, and there's little chance of it coming back.

But there are other places you can get skin cancer. Nose, lip, eye and ear cancers can be hard to remove without permanent scarring and problems in day to day life. Skin cancer in skin folds (like the ridges of the ear) might even get worse than it should because people don't know they have it.

Some people even get skin cancer inside their noses. This kind of cancer is called mucosal melanoma. It doesn't happen very often, but it can be very dangerous when it does. After all, almost no one is expecting to get it.

Many victims of skin cancer in the nose and mouth think they have some other kind of problem. Some doctors don't even know what's wrong.

Most people who get this type of cancer are between the ages of sixty and eighty. People of Japanese heritage and some people of African descent get mucosal melanoma more often than other people.

These tumors often grow very quickly and can become deep in a very short period of time. Cancers in the nose, ears, eyes and mouth often require reconstructive surgery after the tumor is removed. This surgery helps people with these kinds of cancer look more like they did before treatment. It can also help them live their lives more normally.

Under the fingernails

Subungual Melanoma or tumors under the fingernails, can be very dangerous. That's because they don't look like skin cancer at all. Many people with darker skin get this kind of cancer and think that they just have a bruise or mark on their nail.

A dark stripe underneath the nail could be very dangerous, since you might not know there's a problem until it gets painful. By then, there's a good chance that the skin cancer has spread to other parts of the body, and could be very difficult to treat.

These types of hidden skin cancer are more likely to occur in people over the age of fifty. They mostly happen in the thumb, index finger, and big toe, and are more likely to happen in just one finger or toe.

You're more likely to get cancer of this kind if you have a history of cancer in the past. Sometimes the mark can have blurry borders or spread into other areas of the finger, but usually it starts out small.

Most types of skin cancer occur in parts of the body that have been exposed to the sun, but this isn't the case for all of them. There are “hidden” types of skin cancer that can cause real problems if you don't know about them. These melanoma can be extremely dangerous, since they grow quickly and are hard to find.

If you see anything strange, be sure you talk to your doctor about it. It might turn out to be nothing, but it's important to catch it early in case there's a real problem. Your doctor can help you stop worrying. Finding hidden skin cancer early can make a huge difference in whether you find a cure.

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