Skin cancer is the most common malignancy diagnosed in the United States with over 1,250,000 new cases reported each year. Americans over the age of 65 have a forty to fifty percent chance of developing at least one skin malignancy.

Beneath the epidermal levels is the dermis. The dermis contains blood vessels, sweat glands hair follicles and lymph vessels. The dermis also contains glands that produce sebum, an oil that prevents the skin from drying out.

Three different types of cancer affect the epidermis: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma.

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common type of epidermal cancer. Over one million Americans are diagnosed with BCC every year. Basal cell carcinoma is slow growing, and rarely metastasizes (the medical term for cancer that spreads to other organs).

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is less common than BCC, accounting for 200,000 news cases a year in the U.S. Although squamous cell carcinoma spreads faster than BCC, it is still uncommon for the disease to metastasize.

Malignant melanoma is the rarest of the types of skin cancer, with approximately 50,000 new cases in the U.S annually. However, malignant melanoma is also the fastest growing of the three cancers, and diagnosis rates of the disease have doubled in America since the 1970s. Malignant melanoma begins in the melanocytes, and is more often called just melanoma.

Ultraviolet rays from sunlight are the most common cause of skin cancer. The UV rays damage DNA in the epidermis. The damaged DNA replicates and allows the cellular damage to spread. Light-skinned and fair-haired people are most susceptible to UV-related DNA damage.