Boils on the skin are quite common, often seen in young people during puberty. However, the signs of skin cancer also have quite similar manifestations to boils. So how to recognize which are benign boils, which are manifestations of skin cancer?
1. How to distinguish between skin cancer and common boils
Common boils mostly only affect aesthetics, and do not cause many negative effects on health. On the contrary, skin cancer is a dangerous condition for health, even threatening the patient's life. According to doctors, it is possible to distinguish between boils on the skin and boils that warn of the risk of cancer through the following characteristics:
1.1. Time of appearance of boils
With normal physiological boils, they all appear quite suddenly, exist for a short time, then age, become pus and dry up. The area of the skin with acne can be a little painful when the acne is swollen, but when the acne is old and dry, that feeling will disappear. Normally, acne will only last on the skin for about 3-4 days, maximum about 1-2 weeks.
The acne that warns of skin cancer has the following symptoms: Acne appears a lot, is difficult to break if not impacted by puncturing, squeezing, and exists for months. If you find these acne pimples deep under the skin, the acne tends to grow larger and larger, you need to pay special attention. In addition, acne caused by skin cancer is almost painless if not impacted.
1.2. Location of acne
Acne on the skin is a common type of acne that will appear everywhere on the body. However, some of the places where acne grows the most are: Face, groin, buttocks, armpits - places that are often exposed to dirt, sweat, poor hygiene, etc.
With acne that warns of the risk of skin cancer, they often appear in areas of skin that are less protected from the sun such as: Face, scalp, arms, legs, thighs, etc.
1.3. Acne shape
For benign skin pimples, they are characterized by being relatively small in size, round in shape and symmetrical (except in cases where acne grows in clusters). There may be signs of congestion (pinkish red), the skin around the pimples is not clear but changes color slowly.
For acne that warns of skin cancer, they have some characteristics such as: Abnormal shape changes, asymmetry, the boundary between the acne and normal skin is relatively clear. The boil is usually soft in the middle, with a hard base around it, changes color on the skin, is raised, forms lumps, etc.
2. Measures to prevent skin cancer
Doctors recommend: Boils on the skin can be just a normal manifestation but can also be a warning sign of the risk of skin cancer. Early diagnosis of skin cancer will help improve the effectiveness of treatment. Therefore, if you see the above warning signs of the risk of malignant acne, the patient should go to the doctor immediately for timely detection and treatment.
To prevent skin cancer, everyone needs to pay attention to:
- Avoid working under the sun for too long. Ultraviolet rays are usually strongest between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm every day;
- Sunscreen should be used to block UVA and UVB rays before going out in the sun. Use sunscreen for all exposed skin areas (including lips) about 20-30 minutes before going out in the sun;
- Limit exposure to chemicals, radioactive substances, radioactive rays, toxic environments, etc.;
- Regular health check-ups, early detection of abnormal skin growth, moles that change in size or nature, etc. to prevent skin cancer.
Paying attention to the characteristics that distinguish between normal skin pimples and cancerous pimples mentioned above will help each person detect the disease early for effective treatment. At the same time, preventing the harmful effects of sunlight is a simple and easy-to-implement measure to help prevent skin cancer.
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