60 plain-language articles on skin cancer types, biopsies and pathology, procedures, treatment, prevention, and life after a diagnosis. Each lists its sources.
How to recognize a spot that could be melanoma, and what a doctor does from the first look through the biopsy result.
Read article →What basal cell carcinoma looks like, why it rarely spreads yet still needs treatment, how doctors treat it, and the odds of getting another.
Read article →How cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma appears, what makes a tumor high risk, how doctors treat it, and what follow-up involves.
Read article →What actinic keratoses are, how often they turn into squamous cell carcinoma, and how spot treatments differ from field treatments.
Read article →What doctors mean by atypical or dysplastic moles, how pathology grading affects re-excision, and what these moles say about melanoma risk.
Read article →Who gets Merkel cell carcinoma, how to recognize it, how doctors stage it, and how surgery, radiation, and immunotherapy are used.
Read article →Skin cancer is less common in darker skin but often found later. Learn where it tends to appear, what it looks like, and why sun protection still counts.
Read article →How melanoma appears on the palms, soles, and under nails, why doctors often find it late, and how doctors biopsy and treat it.
Read article →What stage 0 melanoma means, why the outlook is excellent, how surgeons choose margins, and what options exist when surgery is difficult.
Read article →Some melanomas are raised, fast-growing, or pink instead of flat and dark. Learn the EFG rule and why a new, firm, growing bump needs a visit.
Read article →A rare melanoma unrelated to sun: where it starts, the symptoms that get mistaken for common problems, how its genetics differ, and how doctors treat it.
Read article →Where ocular melanoma develops, the known risk factors, and how it is diagnosed and treated.
Read article →How shave, punch, incisional, and excisional skin biopsies are done, why a doctor picks one, and what healing and results look like.
Read article →A line-by-line guide to the terms on a melanoma pathology report, what each one means, and which ones change treatment.
Read article →The 3 microscope measurements that matter most in early melanoma, the AJCC thickness cutoffs, and how each one affects staging.
Read article →What melanoma stages 0 through IV mean under the AJCC 8th edition system, which tests set the stage, and how to read survival figures.
Read article →What a sentinel lymph node is, who is usually offered the biopsy, how mapping works, the risks, and what a positive result leads to today.
Read article →Why moles and early melanomas are hard to diagnose, what research shows about pathologist agreement, and how a slide review works.
Read article →The stains, chromosome tests, and gene expression tests used on difficult moles and melanomas, and what guidelines say about each.
Read article →How dermoscopy, total body photography, and digital mole monitoring work, who benefits, and what the evidence shows about accuracy.
Read article →What artificial intelligence devices and phone apps can and can't do for skin cancer detection today, based on FDA decisions and published studies.
Read article →What is normal for moles in childhood, how congenital and Spitz nevi behave, how rare pediatric melanoma is, and when to have a spot checked.
Read article →What happens in the main operation for melanoma, how the margin width is chosen from tumor thickness, and what recovery and the final pathology report involve.
Read article →A walk through the day of Mohs surgery: who qualifies, how the layers and lab checks work, cure rates, wound repair, and its use for melanoma in situ on the face.
Read article →How scraping, freezing, and simple excision treat low-risk skin cancers and precancers, what healing looks like, and when doctors avoid them.
Read article →What fluorouracil, imiquimod, tirbanibulin, and diclofenac treat, the skin reaction to expect week by week, and how the options compared in a head-to-head trial.
Read article →How a light-sensitizing drug plus a light source clears sun-damaged skin, what the visit feels like, the 48 hours of light avoidance, daylight PDT, and results.
Read article →When radiation is used for basal cell, squamous cell, Merkel cell, and melanoma skin cancers, the types and schedules, side effects, and the debate over its routine use.
Read article →Evidence-based aftercare for a skin surgery wound: petrolatum, bandages, bleeding, infection signs, activity limits, and how scars change over 12 months.
Read article →How surgeons repair the wound left by skin cancer removal, from natural healing to flaps, grafts, and staged repairs, who does the work, and what to expect over months.
Read article →Why full lymph node dissection is now uncommon after a positive sentinel node, when surgeons still do it, and how lymphedema is recognized, prevented, and treated.
Read article →How vismodegib and sonidegib switch off the pathway that drives basal cell carcinoma, who takes them, verified trial results, side effects, and what comes next.
Read article →How adjuvant immunotherapy and targeted therapy work after surgery for stage IIB, IIC and III melanoma, what trials found, and the side effect trade-off.
Read article →Why giving immunotherapy before surgery helps in stage III melanoma you can feel or see on scans, and what the S1801 and NADINA trials showed.
Read article →How checkpoint inhibitors can inflame healthy organs, the symptoms that need a same-day call, how steroids treat them, and which effects are permanent.
Read article →What a BRAF V600 mutation means, the 3 approved pill combinations, their side effects, why resistance develops, and how doctors order them with immunotherapy.
Read article →How tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy is made from your own tumor, who may be a candidate, what the hospital stay involves, and what the evidence shows.
Read article →How melanoma brain metastases are found and treated with radiosurgery, surgery, and immunotherapy, plus what to know about steroids, seizures, and driving.
Read article →What trial phases mean, how randomization and placebos are used in cancer studies, your rights as a participant, what insurance covers, and where to search.
Read article →How melanoma arises, the standard treatment options by stage, and the newer approaches now in development.
Read article →Surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted treatment, and clinical trials, and when each is used.
Read article →How immunotherapy works, which drugs are used for melanoma, squamous cell, basal cell, and Merkel cell cancers, and the side effects to watch for.
Read article →What SPF, broad spectrum, and water resistance mean, how much sunscreen to apply, and what the FDA says about ingredient safety.
Read article →How much indoor tanning raises skin cancer risk, why a base tan fails to protect, what the law says, and how sunless tanners differ.
Read article →How to read the UV Index, use the shadow rule, pick UPF clothing, hats, and sunglasses, and account for windows, altitude, snow, and water.
Read article →Why dermatologists suggest food and supplements for vitamin D, what studies show about sunscreen and vitamin D levels, and who may need a test.
Read article →How family history affects melanoma risk, which inherited genes are known, who is offered genetic counseling, and what a test result changes.
Read article →Why transplant medicines raise skin cancer risk, how often skin checks are done, and what is known about prevention and treatment options.
Read article →The main melanoma risk factors in rough order of strength, how age and sex shape the numbers, and which risks a person can change.
Read article →What trials show about nicotinamide for preventing basal and squamous cell skin cancers, the usual dose, safety, and who may be offered it.
Read article →What happens in skin cells during a sunburn, how to treat one at home, when to get medical care, and what past burns mean for skin cancer risk.
Read article →Which common medicines can cause sun reactions, what the 2 reaction types look like, what is known about skin cancer risk, and what to ask your prescriber.
Read article →How much working in the sun raises skin cancer risk, which jobs are affected, and the protections that workers and employers can put in place.
Read article →How UV light harms the eyes and eyelids, how to pick sunglasses that protect, and how eyelid skin cancers look and are treated.
Read article →Which kinds of UV pass through car, office, and airplane windows, what screens and nail lamps emit, and how small daily exposures add up.
Read article →Six practical ways to protect children, and yourself, from sun damage in every season.
Read article →How often doctors see you after melanoma treatment by stage, when scans are used, how to check your own skin and lymph nodes, and what recurrence looks like.
Read article →What research shows about anxiety and depression after melanoma, practical ways to handle fear of recurrence and scan days, and where to find support.
Read article →How moles change in pregnancy, what studies show about melanoma outcomes, and how biopsy, surgery, and future pregnancy plans are handled.
Read article →How to prepare for a full-body skin exam, what the dermatologist checks, how privacy is handled, and what happens if a spot needs a biopsy.
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