The skin, which is the largest organ of our body, consists of the various layers and cells. The skin cells have the ability to rapidly self-renew and multiply. Even if you are not aware of it, the cells in the outermost layer of your skin are renewed once a week. As with every cell that proliferates, the skin cells also have the ability to become cancerous, that is, to lose their ability to reproduce normally and turn into mutant cells.
Although the lung cancer for men and breast cancer for women are the most frequently observed tumors in the category of the malignant tumors, in fact, the less deadly skin cancers are seen far ahead of both cancer types. However, the fact that the majority of skin cancers are not fatal and it causes them not to be added to the black list. Even though it is called cancer with a common expression, they are not considered as cancer.
There are certain risk factors for the formation of the skin cancers. The main cause is the ultraviolet rays from the sun. The lamps that give off the ultraviolet light and the light sources that cause the artificial tanning can also cause the skin cancers. The thinning of the ozone layer, which protects the world against the ultraviolet rays, is the most important factor in the increase of skin cancers in the recent years. The people having the fair skin, who have freckles easily on their skin, who have many moles, who have a family history of skin cancer, and who work outdoors all the time are at high risk. In addition, the areas that have received the radiotherapy (x-ray-x-ray treatment) and wounds that do not heal for a long time, the deep burn areas that have healed for a long time, tar, pitch arsenic, etc. The skin areas exposed to the various chemicals are also at risk.
The skin cancers are roughly divided into three. Although all of them are malignant tumors, I explain to my patients the distinctions by explaining them as “good, moderate and bad”. The tumor that I have stated as “good” is the most common among the skin cancers. Its name is Basal Cell Skin Cancer (BCSC). They grow very slowly and do not spread to the other organs or lymph nodes. So they are not deadly. However, they are dangerous if left in place. In a long time, they grow and damage the anatomical region where they are located. The total exposure to the sunlight throughout life is the most important risk factor. Therefore, they are more common in the elderly.
The skin cancer that is “moderate” is known as Squamous Cell Skin Cancer (SCSC). This cancer grows faster than the type I described earlier and causes the destruction in the area where it is located. It also has the ability to spread to the lymph nodes and internal organs. The reason why I specify it as "mid-state" is that it has less splashing feature than the other familiar cancers. This rate varies between roughly 4-8% in sun-induced the SCSCs. The risk of splashing reaches 30% in SCSCs formed on the basis of non-healing wounds or long-term healed deep burns.
The BCSCs and SCSCs can take various appearances. In general, they can be 1. In the form of a small white and pink mass, 2. In the form of a smooth, shiny or pit-shaped surface, 3. In the form of a dry, scaly, red spot, 4. In the form of a crusty, red, tuberous 5. In the form of small masses with a crust, side by side, 6. In the form of a white patch resembling a scar, 7. In the form of ulcers of the various sizes. These lesions are generally irregularly circumscribed and capillary formations can be observed around them. It is necessary to consider that these types of the lesions, which do not heal in 2-4 weeks can cause bleeding and pain, can be cancer.
The name of the skin cancer that I stated as "bad" is Malign Melanoma. The most important risk factors are the sun rays and sunburns encountered in the early life. This information actually explains that the protection from the skin cancer actually starts from the infancy. For this reason, the sunscreens with a protection factor of +50 are produced for the babies. The Malignant Melanoma is fortunately the least common of the skin cancers. Unfortunately, it is the cancer with the highest rate of increase in the world. In other words, it seems that the ranking will change in the not too distant future. It is extremely malignant and early diagnosis of this type of the skin cancer is very important. It is a type of tumor that develops from the moles on the skin. The asymmetry, color change, size change, edge irregularity, different color tones, crusting, itching, increased redness and hair growth in the existing moles should be a warning for the development of the malignant melanoma. As a matter of fact, the patients having the large amounts of moles, congenital moles and the patients with the changes in their current moles should definitely apply to the nearest dermatologist. The reason why the Malignant Melanoma is so bad is that the tumor has the property of spreading very quickly to the internal organs and lymph nodes.
The most important and gold standard treatment in all skin cancers is the surgical removal of the mass. In the removal of the tumor, the changes are observed according to the type of tumor. While the cancer is being removed, it should be removed by placing a margin of the intact skin in varying amounts in order to prevent the recurrence in that area. At this point, the dexterity and experience of the Dermatology and Plastic Surgery Specialist play a role. In general, the skin tumor patients are sent to the plastic surgeons by the dermatologists with a certain preliminary diagnosis, namely the usual suspect dent. We also remove the tumors by placing the intact skin borders that vary according to the preliminary diagnosis. For example, when a 1 cm diameter BCSC is removed with a 0.5 cm solid border, this corresponds to a 2 cm diameter mass in total. In other words, the tumors that seem small can cause the large surgical wounds, especially when they are located on the face. It is also the job of the plastic surgeons to close these wounds in the most appropriate way. The Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy are the treatment options that can be used as the supportive treatment for the surgery or if the tumor has spread to other areas. 
I will end my article by mentioning false information that all doctors dealing with this business hate and that our people frequently use from east to west. “Oh my god, touching turns into cancer”… Unfortunately, it does not turn into the cancer because we touch it; it is a cancer because it is a cancer!! And this misinformation is the biggest obstacle to early treatment of the skin tumors with simpler techniques and in a shorter time. Every day that is delayed in the treatment of the skin cancers will return to our patients as a larger surgical procedure in some cancer types and death in others.