{"id":337,"date":"2021-09-29T16:17:23","date_gmt":"2021-09-29T15:17:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/dermatology\/?page_id=337"},"modified":"2021-09-30T13:05:27","modified_gmt":"2021-09-30T12:05:27","slug":"skin-cancer-sun-awareness-and-skin-surgery","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/dermatology\/skin-cancer-sun-awareness-and-skin-surgery\/","title":{"rendered":"Skin cancer, sun awareness and skin surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Skin Lesions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When should I contact my doctor about a mole?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first sign of a melanoma is often a new mole or a change in the appearance of an existing mole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Normal moles are usually round or oval, with a smooth edge, and no bigger than 6mm (1\/4 inch) in diameter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Actinic
Copyright \u00a9 The Primary Care Dermatology Society.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

See your GP as soon as possible if you notice changes in a mole, freckle or patch of skin, especially if the changes happen over a few weeks or months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signs to look out for include a mole that is:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

getting bigger
changing shape
changing colour
bleeding or becoming crusty
itchy or painful<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When should I see my doctor about a pink growth on my skin?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The main symptom of non-melanoma skin cancer is the appearance of a lump or discoloured patch on the skin that doesn\u2019t heal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lump or discoloured patch is the cancer, sometimes referred to as a tumour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Non-melanoma skin cancer most often appears on areas of skin which are regularly exposed to the sun, such as the face, ears, hands and shoulders.If you develop a lump, lesion or skin discolouration that hasn\u2019t healed after 4 weeks, see your GP. While it is unlikely to be cancer, it is best to be sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

N.B. Your risk of skin cancer is increased by:<\/em>
Excessive sun exposure\/ sun burn especially in childhood \u2013 so take extra care
Use of sun beds \u2013 Please avoid and learn to love the natural colour of your skin
Being immunosuppressed
Having a family history of skin cancer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Pre-cancerous sun damage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n

Actinic Keratoses (Solar Keratoses)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Actinic
Copyright \u00a9 The Primary Care Dermatology Society.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
actinic keratoses<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
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Intra-epidermal carcinoma insitu IEC (Bowen’s Disease)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Intra-epidermal<\/a>
Copyright \u00a9 The Primary Care Dermatology Society.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
Intra-epidermal carcinoma insitu IEC (Bowen’s Disease)<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Skin Cancer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
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What is Skin Cancer?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Skin<\/a>
www.skincancer909.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
What Is Skin Cancer?<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
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Support for skin cancer patients<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"MacMillan<\/a>
copyright macmillan cancer support<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
MacMillan Cancer Support<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sun Awareness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n

Sun Awareness<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Sunshine<\/a>
shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
Sun Awareness<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Importance of Vitamin D<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Vitamin<\/a>
www.semanticscholar.org<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
Importance of Vitamin D<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Skin Surgery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n

Coming for a skin biopsy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Coming<\/a>
shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
Coming for a skin biopsy<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
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Moh’s Micrographic Surgery<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Moh's
www.semanticscholar.org<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n
Moh’s Micrographic Surgery<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Skin Lesions When should I contact my doctor about a mole? The first sign of a melanoma is often a new mole or a change in the appearance of an existing mole. Normal moles are usually round or oval, with a smooth edge, and no bigger than 6mm (1\/4 inch) in diameter. See your GP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/widewidth.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"class_list":["post-337","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"davidmcbain","author_link":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/dermatology\/author\/davidmcbain\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":false,"rttpg_excerpt":"Skin Lesions When should I contact my doctor about a mole? The first sign of a melanoma is often a new mole or a change in the appearance of an existing mole. Normal moles are usually round or oval, with a smooth edge, and no bigger than 6mm (1\/4 inch) in diameter. See your GP","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/dermatology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/dermatology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/dermatology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/dermatology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/dermatology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=337"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/dermatology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/337\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":440,"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/dermatology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/337\/revisions\/440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/dermatology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/services.nhslothian.scot\/dermatology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}