What skin cancer looks like

The other day, I was outside chatting with my neighbor. She pulled up the cuff of her pants to show me a bandage where she had just had a squamous cell carcinoma removed. That's right ... cancer. Even though it was caught very early and the doctor was able to remove all traces of it, it's still shocking to hear that someone you care about had any form of cancer.

My neighbor went on to tell me that she thought it was a spider bite that just wasn't healing. She was self-treating it and didn't think much of it. Her adult daughter expressed concern and brought her mom to the doctor. Thank goodness she did.

It's important for all of us to recognize the signs of skin cancer. May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month -- a good time to learn about the different types of skin cancer. The most common types of skin cancer are basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma. If you have moles, check the shape and size of them regularly.