cheilitis

Your mouth is one of the most important parts of your body. It has many different functions. It allows you to:

• Take in food and drink
• Breathe in air
• Start digestion, with your teeth chewing the food you eat and your salivary glands releasing saliva to help break down the food
• Speak and sing
• Show emotion, by smiling or pouting

Any problem that affects your mouth can make it hard to eat, drink, or even smile. Some common mouth problems include:

• Cold sores - painful sores on the lips and around the mouth, caused by a virus
• Canker sores - painful sores in the mouth, caused by bacteria or viruses
• Thrush - a yeast infection that causes white patches in your mouth
• Leukoplakia - white patches of excess cell growth on the cheeks, gums or tongue, common in smokers
• Dry mouth - a lack of enough saliva, caused by some medicines and certain diseases
• Gum or tooth problems
• Bad breath

Treatment for mouth disorders varies, depending on the problem. If a mouth problem is caused by some other disease, treating that disease can help. It is also important to keep your mouth clean and healthy by brushing, flossing, and not using tobacco.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. The two most common types are basal cell cancer and squamous cell cancer. They usually form on the head, face, neck, hands, and arms. Another type of skin cancer, melanoma, is more dangerous but less common.

Anyone can get skin cancer, but it is more common in people who :

• Spend a lot of time in the sun or have been sunburned
• Have light-colored skin, hair and eyes
• Have a family member with skin cancer
• Are over age 50

You should have your doctor check any suspicious skin markings and any changes in the way your skin looks. Treatment is more likely to work well when cancer is found early. If not treated, some types of skin cancer cells can spread to other tissues and organs. Treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy (PDT), and biologic therapy. PDT uses a drug and a type of laser light to kill cancer cells. Biologic therapy boosts your body's own ability to fight cancer.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

Ultraviolet (UV) rays are an invisible form of radiation. They can pass through your skin and damage your skin cells. Sunburns are a sign of skin damage. Suntans aren't healthy, either. They appear after the sun's rays have already killed some cells and damaged others. UV rays can cause skin damage during any season or at any temperature. They can also cause eye problems, wrinkles, skin spots, and skin cancer.

To protect yourself :

• Stay out of the sun when it is strongest (between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.)
• Use sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher
• Wear protective clothing
• Wear wraparound sunglasses that provide 100% UV ray protection
• Avoid sunlamps and tanning beds

Check your skin regularly for changes in the size, shape, color, or feel of birthmarks, moles, and spots. Such changes are a sign of skin cancer.

Food and Drug Administration