You wake up one morning and your shoulder is sore and there is a drop of blood on your pillow. You look in the mirror and see a blemish oozing. The diagnosis is skin cancer.

What would your reaction be to such news. Panic? Shock? What would it mean to your life, your family, your friends if you found out you had cancer. What if it is terminal?

Cancer and death, the two words just go together notwithstanding the experiences of Lance Armstrong. Skin cancer is often treatable. More importantly, you could have prevented it.

So, just what are we talking about when we say skin cancer? In the most basic terms, it is an unnatural growth in the layers of the skin. The growth typically occurs in the epidermis.

As you can probably guess, skin cancer is caused by sun exposure. The exposure can be for short periods that result in burns, but they can also be for exposure over long periods of time. Having a good tan has not been shown to make a difference.

Cancerous skin growth is actually a catch all phrase. This particular cancer breaks down into three different types with each having its own outcome.

If you are particularly unlucky, you will be diagnosed with Malignant melanoma. It is a killer. If not treated early, it will spread and is fatal. Fortunately, it is the least common diagnosis.

Basal carcinoma is by far the most common form of skin cancer people are diagnosed with. Happily, it is treatable. Only a very small percentage of cases result in fatality.

Squamous cell can be a nasty form of skin cancer, but it can also be caused by things other than the sun. It is found on both the skin and internal organs. The skin version is treatable, but it can spread and be deadly

Any cancer diagnosis is obviously a bad thing. The ironic and sad fact of skin cancer is you can reduce your risk to practically zero. You just need to take common sense steps.

Love to be outside? Is your idea of a good time to go for walks, lay out in the sun or maybe just poke around in the garden? Well, you are increasing your risk of getting skin cancer.

The magic cure for skin cancer is sun protection. If you are going to be out in the sun, wear it! That's it. How hard is that? If you have less hair than you might wish, you should also wear a hat. Take these common sense, easy steps, and you can prevent problems.