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 inconsequential. How this can come back to kick 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 were rocked to the core. He was diagnosed with 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. Little did he know that this was actinic keratosis, a premalignant condition that when left untreated has the potential to develop into cancer.

WHAT IS ACTINIC KERATOSIS?

For those of you who are unaware of actinic keratosis, or more commonly 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. It can become itchy, inflamed and in some cases may even bleed.

The abnormality develops slowly and generally reaches the size of an eighth to a quarter of an inch, and they can breakout together in large numbers. Actinic keratosis is usually found on the face, ears, scalp, neck, backs of the hands and forearms, shoulders, and lips. Essentially, parts of the body most often exposed to sunshine. Studies have also shown the propensity to encounter up to 10 times as many subclinical (invisible) lesions as visible, surface lesions.

WHY IS IT DANGEROUS

Actinic keratosis is often regarded as the primary stage 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 more keratoses that you have, the greater the chance 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

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

- Appraise 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 after each shower

ALTERNATIVE SKIN CANCER PREVENTION AND TREATMENT

As skin cancer can be formed from the dry, scaly inflammation patches experienced with actininc keratosis, daily maintenance of the skin can be extremely assisting. The regular application of an irritation-free moisturizer will alleviate any itchiness or irritation experienced. Meanwhile, the daily application of a non-toxic exfoliate is an effective treatment for keratosis due to the removal of precancer cells, stimulating the growth of new, healthy cells. If I could wind back the clock and teach my husband what I know now, skin cancer would never have been a part of our lives.

Natural skin care treatments such as Bioskincare make this solution method even easier. Due to its 100% natural exfoliate properties, it is one of the simplest treatments for actic keratosis as it effortlessly erodes the keratosis cells, eliminating the lesions before they have a chance to grow. As Bioskincare also acts as a deeply penetrative moisturizer, it works just as effectively for keratosis pilaris treatment plans as well. Best of all, as Bioskincare is 100% natural there is no risk of unwanted rashes, or the nasty side effects associated with other treatment plans and solutions.