Most of us tend to only pay attention to the bigger things in life; often overlooking that which is little or less significant, and passing it off as unimportant. How this can come back to bite you. The only positive I have taken from my husband's experiences it is to never take anything for granted, be thorough in everything you do, and pay very close attention to your body.

On April 26th, 2007 my life, those of my children, and most importantly, my husband's took a shattering turn. He was told he had skin cancer. Less than a couple of months before then he noticed a small dry patch of skin over his nose, and like most people would, thought nothing of it. At the time he was completely unaware that this was actinic keratosis, a premalignant condition that when left untreated has the potential to develop into cancer.

WHAT IS ACTINIC KERATOSIS?

To anyone who has never come across actinic keratosis, also known as solar keratosis, it begins as a scaly or crusty bump that arises on the skin's surface. The lower part of the lesion may be light or dark, tan, pink, red, a combination of these, or the same color as your skin. As it progresses the area may inflame, become itchy, or sometimes bleed.

The abnormality develops slowly and generally reaches the size of an eighth to a quarter of an inch, and a high quantity may appear at the same time. Actinic keratosis is most commonly discovered on the face, ears, scalp, neck, backs of the hands and forearms, shoulders, and lips. Basically, parts of the body most often exposed to sunshine. People may also have up to 10 times as many subclinical (invisible) lesions as visible, surface lesions.

WHY IS IT DANGEROUS

Actinic keratosis is frequently viewed as the infancy of skin cancer which is why it is so commonly referred to as a precancer. When left untreated, about two to five percent of these lesions may progress to squamous cell carcinomas and the higher number of keratoses you possess, the higher the likelihood that one or more may turn into skin cancer.

HOW IT CAN BE PREVENTED

- Limit your exposure to the sun, especially during the sun's peak hours

- Cover up with clothing, including a broad-brimmed hat, long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and UV-blocking sunglasses

- Wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher

- Examine your skin from head to toe once every month.

- Visit a skin professional for appraisal every year

- Act quickly on the discovery of any abnormalities and unusual inflammations

- Exfoliate dead skin cells and apply moisturizing cream daily

ALTERNATIVE SKIN CANCER PREVENTION AND TREATMENT

Due to the fact skin cancer can be formed from the dry, scaly inflammation patches experienced with actininc keratosis, looking after your skin on a consistent basis can be highly beneficial. The daily application of an irritation-free moisturizer will sooth any itchiness or irritation experienced. Meanwhile, the daily application of a non-toxic exfoliate is an effective treatment for keratosis as the potentially cancerous skin cells are eroded away, stimulating the growth of new, healthy cells. If my husband had have followed such an effortless regime, he would never have developed skin cancer.