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Pimples on the skin is a fairly common phenomenon, common in young people during puberty. However, the signs of skin cancer also appear quite similar to pimples. So how to recognize what is a common benign pimple, which is a manifestation of skin cancer?
1. How to distinguish skin cancer and common pimples
Common pimples mostly only affect aesthetics, do not cause many negative effects on health. In contrast, skin cancer is a dangerous condition for health, even life-threatening for patients. According to doctors, it is possible to distinguish a boil on the skin from a boil that warns of cancer risk by the following characteristics:
1.1. With normal physiological acne, it appears quite suddenly, lasts for a short time and then ages, turns pus and dries up. The normal acne area can be a little sore when the acne is swollen, but when the acne is old and dry, that feeling will disappear. Usually, pimples will only last on the skin for about 3-4 days, up to about 1-2 weeks.
As for the acne warning signs of skin cancer, the symptoms are: Acne appears a lot, is difficult to break if it is not affected by extracting, squeezing, and persists for months. If you find these pimples are sunk deep under the skin, the acne tends to grow larger and larger, you should pay special attention. Besides, acne caused by skin cancer is almost painless if not affected.
1.2. Pimples on the skin are common types of acne that will grow anywhere on the body. However, some of the places where acne grows most often are: Face, groin, buttocks, armpits - places that are often exposed to dirt, sweat, have poor hygiene conditions,...
With the Acne spots warn of the risk of skin cancer, they often appear in areas of the skin that are less protected from the sun such as: face, scalp, arms, legs, thighs,...
1.3. Acne shape For benign skin pimples, they are characterized by relatively small size, round shape and symmetry (except in cases where the acne grows in contiguous clusters). At the acne spot, there may be signs of congestion (reddish pink), the skin around the acne is not clear but gradually changes color.
For skin cancer warning acne spots, they have a number of features such as: Abnormally changing shape, asymmetry, the border between the acne skin and normal skin is relatively obvious. The boil is usually soft in the middle, surrounded by a hard background, changing color on the skin, papules, forming lumps,...
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2. Measures to prevent skin cancer
Doctors recommend: Pimples on the skin can be just a normal expression but can also be a warning sign of the risk of skin cancer. Early diagnosis of skin cancer improves the effectiveness of treatment. Therefore, if you see the warning signs of malignant acne mentioned above, the patient should go to the doctor immediately for timely detection and treatment.
To prevent skin cancer, each person needs to pay attention:
Avoid working in the sun for too long. Ultraviolet rays are usually strongest between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. daily; Use sunscreen that blocks UVA and UVB rays before going out in the sun. Apply sunscreen to all exposed skin (including lips) about 20-30 minutes before going out in the sun; Limit exposure to chemicals, radioactive substances, radioactive rays, toxic environment,...; Regular health check, early detection of abnormal skin growth, moles changed in size or nature, ... to prevent skin cancer. Paying attention to the distinguishing features of common skin boils and cancerous pimples above will help each person detect the disease early for effective treatment. At the same time, preventing the harmful effects of the sun is a simple and easy way to prevent skin cancer.
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