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 haunt you. If I've learnt anything 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. It hadn't been long before then that 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?

If you are one of the many to have not heard of actinic keratosis, also called solar keratosis, it begins as a scaly or crusty bump that arises on the skin's surface. The base 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 lump 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 most commonly discovered on the face, ears, scalp, neck, backs of the hands and forearms, shoulders, and lips. Most predominately, 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 the first step in the development 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 greater the prevalence of keratosis, the larger the risk that one or more may turn into skin cancer.

HOW IT CAN BE PREVENTED

- Avoid unnecessary sun exposure, especially during the sun's peak hours

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

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

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

- Get your skin analyzed by a specialist yearly

- Act promptly 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, taking care of your skin daily can be of great benefit. The frequent 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 due to the removal of precancer cells, stimulating the growth of new, healthy cells. If my husband had have followed such an effortless regime, he would never have developed skin cancer.