What Is a Skin Cancer Screening, and Why Is It Important?

If you love fun in the sun or that sunkissed glow you get from hitting up the tanning salon, a skin cancer screening should be a part of your regular health maintenance routine to help keep your skin healthy.

So, what is a skin cancer screening, and why is it important? 

What Causes Skin Cancer?

The two main types of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma, are usually caused by damage to cells from UV rays or other agents that cause the cells to change or grow. Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) affects 3.6 million people each year.

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) comes up in a close second. Both can cause lesions, growths, scars, and bumps that most people don’t notice unless it’s happened upon at a routine doctor’s appointment or found during a skin cancer screening. 

What Is a Skin Cancer Screening, and Why Is It Important?

During a skin cancer screening, a dermatologist will do a visual exam of your whole body. While this can feel embarrassing, it’s a necessary practice.

While some say you can perform skin cancer screenings on yourself, it takes a knowledgeable and experienced eye to differentiate between regular changes in your skin and skin cancer. 

The dermatologist can tell if something is abnormal by looking at the size, shape, texture, and color. By getting a screening done regularly, skin cancer can be caught early, often while it’s possible to cure the cancer. 

Where Can I Get a Professional and Thorough Skin Cancer Screening in Acworth?

Now that we’ve answered, “What is a skin cancer screening and why is it important,” the next step is to schedule a screening. For the people in Acworth and surrounding areas, the process is simple.

Just contact us today at 678-505-8030 to schedule your screening with Dr. Chappell, previous recipient of Atlanta’s Top Doctors award!