Aesthetic Medicine and Dermatology

Skin Cancer: Neoplasms of the skin

Neoplasm is an abnormal growth of tissue, and when also forming a mass is commonly referred to as a tumour or tumour. Skin cancers are cancers that arise from the skin. They are due to the development of abnormal cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. There are three main types: basal-cell cancer (BCC), squamous cell cancer (SCC) and melanoma. The first two together along with a number of less common skin cancers are known as non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). Basal-cell cancer grows slowly and can damage the tissue around it but is unlikely to spread to distant areas or result in death. It often appears as a painless raised area of skin that may be shiny with small blood vessel running over it or may present as a raised area with an ulcer.