Just the word "cancer" sparks fear in the strongest of us. Not to be taken lightly is skin cancer. We now have an understanding of the seriousness of this disease and the importance of protecting our skin from ultraviolet light, either natural or from tanning beds.

We have three layers of skin and cancer can develop in any one of them. The cancer tumors are formed from the cells which can grow in any of the three layers of skin; the top layer, which is the epidermis, produces squamous cells; the center, which is the dermis, produces basal cells; and the subcutaneous, which is the deep tissue, produces melanocyte. These skin tumors can be malignant or benign. The malignant tumor is skin cancer.

Common types of skin cancer are the non-melanomas and how they spread depends on the type of skin cancer they are. The most common form of malignant skin cancer is Basal cell carcinoma. This usually affects people with fair skin in areas that are constantly exposed to the sun, such as the head and neck. It looks like a small pink or red rounded lump. Even though they grow very slowly, never ignore the signs, for if they turn into ulcers and go deeper into the tissue, they could do serious damage to features such as the lips or nose.

The second, most common type of malignant skin cancer, has been in the news recently when our first lady, Laura Bush had one removed from her leg in November, 2006. It's called squamous cell carcinoma and, as Basal cell, mainly affects fair-skinned people, rarely people with dark skin, in areas heavily exposed to the sun. It can, however, develop other places like inside your mouth, anus, or on the genitals. Unlike Basal cell carcinoma, which tends to go deep rather than spread to other tissue, squamous can spread to surrounding skin and, although uncommon, to other areas of the body. The cancers can appear as red nodules or scaly areas.

The most aggressive form of skin cancer, and one that also normally affects the fair skinned, is melanoma skin cancer. It begins as melanocyte cells in the epidermis level of the skin, but can spread, not only to other tissue but to other organs, even affecting the lymph nodes. This type usually starts as a dark spot or a mole. Use the safe, effective herbal formula to treat these lesions.

Skin cancers are common but treatable, if addressed in a timely manner. Paying close attention to your skin is very important. If you have an existing spot or mole and it begins changing size or shape, or becomes irritated or infected, you should address it immediately. Preventive herbal medicine that cleanses the blood and lymphatic fluids and boosts the immune system and helps fight the development or spread of these skin cancers is one the best solutions for the skin cancer problem.

Suzanne VanDeGrift has developed this article for Dherbs.com.  Dherbs offers specially formulated herbal supplements to naturally prevent and heal skin disorders.