Warning Signs Your Red Skin Could Be Cancer

When it comes to cancer, the symptoms aren't always clear. While certain things like tumors or changes to moles can be indicative of some types of cancers, other signs can easily be missed — and this is a problem, especially since early-onset cancer is becoming more and more common. According to a 2023 study published in BMJ Oncology, cancer in people under the age of 50 has increased by almost 80% in the past 30 years, with 27.7% of those cases resulting in death. Because of this, it's important to recognize all possible cancer-related signs, most especially the obscure ones that people don't talk about enough.

In fact, a warning sign that you might have cancer can come in the form of red skin. But because red skin can be the result of a whole myriad of scenarios, it can be easy to dismiss it and chalk it up to not being a big deal. However, if you've ruled out other common causes of redness — such as sunburn, an allergic reaction, hives, rosacea, or psoriasis — and your red skin persists, it's definitely worth taking a closer look.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, skin cancer isn't just the most common cancer in the United States, but across the globe, too. Statistically, before the age of 70, one in five Americans will develop some form of skin cancer and, in the U.S., at least two people die from skin cancer every hour. These stats aren't meant to scare you but rather keep you on your toes.

While skin cancer reveals itself in different ways, if it comes in the form of red skin, it could possibly be squamous cell carcinoma, per the American Cancer Society. If that's the case, not only will the skin be red, but it will look and feel rough to the touch and can be scaly too. This type of cancer is usually due to sun exposure, so if you've been a sun-worshipper for the majority of your life and start to notice red skin that's not going away, contact your dermatologist immediately. It's important to catch it early and begin treatment as soon as possible.

According to StatPearls, osteosarcoma is the most common form of bone cancer in children and adolescents. However, people over 65 can also develop it. Although bone cancer's initial symptoms are pain in the area where the tumor is, red skin, due to inflammation, can also be indicative of osteosarcoma. If the pain and red skin are ignored, the tumor will grow in size, resulting in an obvious lump, per the National Health Service.

Ultimately, any sort of discoloring of the skin, whether it's red, purple, brown, or something else is something to take seriously. Even if red skin isn't a warning sign of cancer, it's still your body giving you a heads up that something isn't right and you should have it checked out. It's never a good idea to dismiss symptoms you've never experienced before and just assume that a patch of red skin is going to go away on its own. Sometimes waiting for something to resolve itself ends up putting us in a situation that even aggressive treatment can't help. So take care of your body and listen to it when it's trying to get your attention.