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Skin cancers have been increasing in recent years under the influence of worsening environmental factors. There are no reliable statistics for the incidence of skin cancer in Turkey.
Skin cancers are more frequent in the head and neck region, but can be anywhere on the skin surface. Those parts of the body exposed to the sun are more prone to skin cancers.
Who Develops Skin Cancer?
The main cause of skin cancer is the ultraviolet rays from the sun. Electric lights and tanning lamps that emit ultraviolet light can also cause skin cancers. The thinning of the ozone layer that shields the Earth from ultraviolet rays is also known to have caused a severe rise in skin cancers.
Those at greatest risk are.
- People with pale complexions,
- People prone to developing freckles,
- People with many moles (nevi) and in whom these appear in different shapes and sizes,
- Those with a family history of skin cancers,
- People who spend a lot of time in the open air, and
- People living in regions close to the Equator or at high altitudes, or who are exposed to intense sunlight throughout the year. In addition, skin cancers can also develop for such reasons as,
- Radiotherapy for any reason,
- Open wounds that refuse to heal for many years,
- Chronic exposure to chemical carcinogenic substances such as tar, pitch and arsenic, or
- Chronic exposure to microtraumas.