What are the other forms of skin cancer?
If you have black skin, you can experience these types of Skin cancer:
- Sebaceous carcinoma: a round, painless lump that often starts in the eyelid
- Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: a small, raised, reddish-brown patch
- Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma: A strange round or rash, light patches that look like eczema [4]
- Merkel cell carcinoma: a harmless, purplish lump that grows quickly
Prevention and Early diagnosis
It is difficult to detect cancer in black skin. In some cases, unconditional bias during diagnosis and assessment makes detection difficult. People with dark skin must learn about the signs of skin cancer.
Early detection increases the success rate of treatment. It is also essential to know the symptoms so you can report them early to your dermatologist.
You can help yourself by doing the following:
- Stop using tanning beds
- Wearing sunscreen in the sun: Your black skin does not completely protect you from sunburn. Studies show that the melanin [5] in black skin has about 13 SPF, but extra protection is needed if you go outside.
- Checking your skin regularly: You can easily detect strange growths on your skin if you check it regularly.
- Visiting a dermatologist for an annual skin cancer screening: You must screen for skin cancer regularly, especially if you have a history of skin cancer in your family.