Skin Cancer vs. Psoriasis: How to Tell the Difference

If you’re looking in the mirror and find some strange spots on your skin that may look different than pimples or bruises, look carefully to identify their color and appearance. Behold and check if these spots are flat or raised. Such strange spots sometimes indicate serious skin diseases like skin cancer or psoriasis.

Skin cancer and psoriasis are skin diseases that cause changes in your skin’s appearance. Symptoms of both skin diseases may be similar to some extent but still, some factors are present that can help you differentiate the two diseases. 

Skin cancer is the sign of the development of cancerous cells in your skin tissues., while psoriasis is a condition when your skin cell production speeds up. Their symptoms and appearances help you distinguish the both.

Let’s learn about the symptoms of skin cancer and psoriasis deeply so you can identify the difference between them and take steps to treat them immediately. 

What is Skin Cancer?

The development of cancerous cells in your skin’s tissues is the induction of skin cancer. This is the most common type of cancer in the country, researchers said.

It is categorized into three main types, known as:

Basal cell cancer.

Squamous cell cancer.

Melanoma.

The first two are the most common types of skin cancer, while the third one is more dangerous but rare. 

What is Psoriasis?

This is a chronic skin condition that is characterized by speeding up soft skin cell production. The uncontrolled skin cell production causes the appearance of colorless patches in your skin, called plaques of skin. These patches of plaque often appear with silvery-white scales.

If you have a paler skin tone, these patches may appear in red color, while in darker tones these patches may look brownish or purplish. These patches cause pain, soreness, and itchiness in your skin. 

How to Distinguish Between Skin Cancer and Psoriasis?

The appearing symptoms of both skin diseases can help distinguish between them. So this is the time to take a deep look at the symptoms of skin cancer and psoriasis.

Symptoms of Skin Cancer

It is often hard to diagnose and detect skin cancer because initially, it doesn’t show prominent changes in your skin. Sometimes, it is formed as a sort of skin that doesn’t heal. Sometimes, other symptoms also appear like unusual bumps or spots. These bumps or spots may look:

• Scaly, crusty, or bleeding.
• Having unusual; colors like blue, yellow, black, violet.
• Firm and taut.
• Shiny, waxy, pearly, and raised.

Skin cancer can affect you at any age. However, it is rare. Studies showed that skin cancer is more common in non-Hispanic white residents than non-Hispanic Black, Asian individuals. It also suggested that skin cancer is common in people who live in regions of the world that aren’t commonly exposed to the sun. Similarly, skin cancer bumps appear in your body parts that are often away from sunlight and do not get sunlight in enough quantity, including your groin, the soles of your feet, the inside of your mouth, and the palms of your hands. Sometimes, melanoma also develops under the nails. 

If you are curious to find out the symptoms of skin cancer on your own, you may look for:

• A dark line around or underneath your toenail or fingernail.
• A sore that returns and heals.
• A sore that won’t heal or has a long time to heal. This sore may be in the form of a scar on the skin or the mark of an injury in the past.
• A patch of skin feels dry and rough.
• A dark spot, patch, or growth of skin that is growing, bleeding, or changing in any way.

Symptoms of Psoriasis

The symptoms of psoriasis include:

• Pitted, think fingernails.
• Cracked, dry skin that sometimes bleeds.
• Plaques are commonly covered with silvery-white scales.
• Sensations of soreness, itching, or burning. 

Psoriasis has different appearances and forms.

On lighter or fair skin tones, its spots or patches are raised pink or red and occasionally paired with a silvery scale, while on medium skin tones, it tends to be salmon-colored with silvery scales.

If someone has a dark skin tone, the psoriasis patches appear on their skin as brown or violet patches.

Identification of  Skin Cancer

Several studies and researchers have confirmed that skin cancer typically develops in areas of the world that have much more exposure to direct sunlight, including your,

• Face.
• Hands.
• Hands.
• Head.
• Neck.
• Chest.
• Back.

Often the identification of skin cancer spit or patch is hard because at the start it looks like an ordinary freckle or mole. 

According to the Department of Cancer Treatment Center, if you want to identify skin cancer symptoms as soon as possible, you have to know all the factors affecting the production and appearance of cancerous cells in your skin, including:

Evolving of SpotsYou can detect changes in a cancerous spot or patch over the course of a few weeks or months. Skin cancer spots usually would not appear and come back later. They continue to change and grow in different forms or shapes until our doctor diagnoses them and removes them. It is different from psoriasis.

Color of Cancerous Spot in the Skin

The color of the cancerous spot is usually brown but it also appears in:

• Navy blue.
• Black.
• Red.
• White.
• Yellow.

Often, the color of cancerous spots varies from one area to the next and sometimes, the color may be uneven within a single spigot or patch.

Asymmetry

Skin cancer spots don’t appear evenly. This means that one side of the spot won’t be similar to the other.

Diameter

Always pay attention to freckles or moles that rarely grow on your skin. If you notice a spot or freckle growing more than 5 millimeters in diameter or about the size of a pencil eraser, it may be a matter of concern. Such a big diameter of skin patch is an induction of the development of cancerous cells in the skin. However, sometimes the diameter of the shot can be smaller than this range. It is good to talk to your doctor if you find any new or uneven spots on your skin.

Border

Studies showed that the cancerous spots often have irregular, ragged, blurred, or suspicious edges. These signs can confirm the harshness of a spot or patch.

Identification of Psoriasis

Psoriasis outbreak covers a large section of your body and they are widespread. But sometimes they can be in smaller sizes and cover a few inches. The body parts affected the most by psoriasis include:

• Scalp.
• Back.
• Knees.
• Elbows.

The psoriasis identification method depends on the type of psoriasis. However, most doctors identify it through cycles of activity and inactivity. Psoriasis makes the skin condition worse for weeks and months, and its symptoms often may disappear completely or fade partially. The cycle of activity for each individual is different and sometimes, unpredictable.

Treatment of Skin Cancer

Skin cancer severity and the size of the cancerous patch or spot decide which way of treatment is best. However, typical treatment options for skin cancer include:

Biological Therapy: It is an effective way to boost your body’s natural ability to fight cancer with the help of medications.

Chemotherapy: This treatment option involves IV drug treatment that is effective in killing cancer cells. Creams and lotions containing cancer-killing medications are also used to treat skin cancer if the cancerous patch is on the top layer of your skin.

Surgery: The common way to prevent skin cancer from growing or spreading to other parts of the body is its removal through surgery. 

Photodynamic Therapy: In this treatment option a combination of medications and laser light is used to destroy cancer cells in your skin.

Early diagnosis of skin cancer leads to early and effective treatment. Early treatment often proves successful particularly if it is done before cancer spreads to other organs through a process known as metastasis. If doctors fail to detect the cancerous cells in the skin, they spread to nearby tissues and grow there. Thus it is necessary to treat cancer cells early.

Treatment of Psoriasis

Although this is an autoimmune disease and doesn’t have a proper cure, in time treatment can help reduce the symptoms. According to studies, doctors often fail to recognize psoriasis in people of different color tones as compared to the do on paler skin tones. Therefore, they may be disproportionately misdiagnosed or under treatment for psoriasis. Psoriasis treatments are divided into three basic categories. One of these or a combination of them may be suitable for you. The severity of psoriasis symptoms helps the doctor to suggest the best treatment option for you.

Systemic Medications: Oral or injected medications known as systemic medications are used to treat psoriasis. These medications include methotrexate, retinoids, and biologics. Doctors use these medications for people with severe symptoms of psoriasis. However, this treatment is suitable for short-term use.

Topical Treatments: The prescribed creams, solutions, ointments, and lotions are used to apply on the skin. These things help ease the symptoms of psoriasis.

Light Therapy: This treatment involves the direct exposure of skin to the controlled doses of ultraviolet rays. This is an attempt to reduce the symptoms. Light therapy should be attempted in the supervision of expert doctors because they understand which type or frequency of light is suitable for your treatment. If you try to do it on your own you may experience exposure to the wrong frequency or wavelength of light which can worsen the symptoms of psoriasis.

Risk Factors for Skin Cancer

These are the risk factors that increase the chances of developing skin cancer:

A compromised immune system: Chronic infections and stress are the main factors that adversely affect your immune system and increase the risk of developing skin cancer.

Moles: Having a larger number of moles on your skin than an average person also increases the chances of getting affected by skin cancer. 

Long-term sun exposure: Long-term exposure to the sun increases your risk of developing skin cancer. Your chances of developing skin cancer also get higher if you have had sunburns in the past.

Age: Skin cancer can develop at any age but studies suggest that the ages above 45 are more likely to receive skin cancer. Females of age 40 can have more chances of developing skin cancer.

Family History: Genetic links also cause skin cancer. Certain genes share a link with skin cancer. Sometimes, people inherit genes that may increase the risk of skin cancer if they had a parent or grandparents who had skin cancer.

Complexion: The color of your skin, hair, and eyes also takes part in developing the risk of skin cancer. L; light colored skin, red hair, or blue eyes have a higher risk of skin cancer.

Risk Factors of Psoriasis

Although psoriasis can affect anyone the following factors increase the chances that you’ll develop a skin condition like psoriasis:

Stress and Depression: A depressed or stressed mental or physical condition may increase your odds of developing psoriasis.

Obesity: Being overweight is another factor that leads to a high risk of psoriasis. Psoriasis plaques can develop in skin creases made of extra fats inside your body. Thus obesity is a major factor of psoriasis development.

Smoking: Excessive smoking can increase the chances of developing psoriasis. Smoking also develops a severe form of the condition.

Family History: Psoriasis is a gene-linked condition. It shares a genetic connection with the parents or grandparents. If one of your parents had psoriasis or any skin condition, the odds that you’ll develop it are much higher than if they don’t. 

Chronic Infections: Strep throat or HIV types chronic infections weaken your immune system. This weakness of immunity raises your risk of developing psoriasis.

Conclusion

Cancerous cells developing in your skin tissues cause skin cancer, while psoriasis doesn’t involve cancer cells but in psoriasis, your skin cells regenerate too quickly. There are many similarities in the appearance of skin cancer and psoriasis but still, you may find key differences which help you distinguish the two skin conditions. 

Getting exact knowledge about your body parts and the changes appearing in them may help you diagnose or identify the symptoms of skin cancer and psoriasis. Keeping in view which part of the body is more likely to be affected by each condition and what each might look like on different skin tones may also help you tell the difference between the both. However, if you fail to differentiate between skin cancer and psoriasis, it’s good to go to an expert skin specialist for a thorough examination. They can help you identify any unusual changes to your skin.