Precancerous Skin Lesions: What Sun-Damaged Skin Is Telling You

Skin Ageing vs. Skin Disease

Nigerian skin is richly pigmented — and melanin provides significant natural sun protection. But this protection is not absolute. Years of Lagos sun exposure, combined with the increasingly common use of skin-lightening products that strip melanin, creates real skin cancer risk that is underappreciated by both patients and clinicians in Nigeria.

What to Watch For on Your Skin

FXMed tip: If any of this sounds familiar, our Adrenal Reset Programme may be exactly what you need. Book a free assessment to find out where your health stands today.

• Rough, scaly patches on chronically sun-exposed areas (hands, face, scalp in those with thinning hair) that don't resolve — these may represent actinic (sun) damage
• New or changing moles — use the ABCDE rule: Asymmetry, Border irregularity, Colour variation, Diameter over 6mm, Evolution (any change)
• Non-healing sores — particularly on lower legs (where skin blood supply is poorest) and on sun-exposed areas
• Pale, waxy, or translucent nodules on the face — may represent early basal cell carcinoma

Skin Cancer Risk Factors in Nigeria

• Use of hydroquinone or mercury-containing skin-lightening products
• Albinism — profoundly elevated skin cancer risk that often goes unmanaged
• Chronic skin ulcers or burns (Marjolin's ulcer — squamous cell carcinoma in chronic wounds)
• Immunosuppression from HIV, organ transplant, or medications

Nutritional Skin Protection

FXMed includes skin health in our Longevity & Anti-Aging programme: vitamin D (paradoxically, many Nigerians are deficient despite sun exposure), zinc, vitamin C, lycopene (from tomatoes — plentiful in Nigerian cooking), and omega-3s all provide measurable photoprotection and support skin repair.

If You Have Concerns

Any skin change that worries you deserves a medical opinion. FXMed's home visit (see our what concierge medicine is) service includes skin assessment. If referral to a dermatologist is needed, we facilitate and coordinate that care.