Receiving a diagnosis that you have skin cancer is usually taken very hard. You probably do not know what you can do next as decisions hare hard to make in such an unnerving time. Luckily, the chance of you surviving skin cancer is usually very good as long as it was detected early.

It is important that skin cancer be caught early enough to begin removing the skin cancer or stopping it in its tracks. You must do your part to catch your skin cancer. Early stages are your best chance to beat it.

In the first stages of skin cancer you will find out whether you have a non-melanoma skin cancer or a melanoma skin cancer. Early stages for both of these have a very good prognosis for survival. A basal cell carcinoma is very rarely spread beyond a second stage so the prognosis is very good if this is the type of skin cancer that you have.

Being diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer it can be scary. The good news is with early detection the stage I and stage II survival rate is very good, almost 100% for 5 years. However, if it’s found at stage 3 the survival rate drops to 60%. This stresses the importance for early detection, as it’s the biggest cure for melanoma skin cancer.

It is very important that you do a self exam at least once a month. See your physician regularly and be sure that a skin check up is included in your regular physical. Anytime you notice any suspicious lesions on your skin, be sure to see your doctor right away. If a mole or discoloration begins to change in color or shape, be sure to get to your doctor quickly.

You should also check with your doctor if you have a wound that will not heal. Obtain the description of what a melanoma skin cancer looks like from your doctor so that you have a good idea of what you are looking for when you do your self exams. You must be able to identify possible skin cancer.

In its early stage, skin cancer can be quite small. The average size is that of a pea. However, skin cancer will grow progressively larger. If left untreated, it will metastasize to other organs and progress throughout the body. As this happens, rate of survival drops exponentially. The more involved the cancer, the more involved methods of treatment become.