While melanoma is one of the most common types of skin cancers that people know about, you should also be aware of the r are types of skin cancer that affect people all over the world. These cancers are usually called non-melanoma cancers. Here is a list of these rarer skin cancer types prevalent in adults and children.

Merkel cell carcinoma
This is one of the rare types of skin cancer that is aggressive in nature. This type of cancer is neuroendocrine in nature and is present on the epidermis layer. It is usually close to the nerve endings. These tumor cells are red, pink, or purple in color and appear firm. UV exposure is one of the biggest causes of this cancer.

Cutaneous lymphoma
This is a type of lymphoma, where the source of the tumor is the skin and not other organs in the body. This type of cancer occurs due to DNA mutations and the presence of certain types of infections in the body. There are two types of skin lymphomas identified – T-cell and B-cell.

Kaposi Sarcoma (KS)
This is one of the rare types of skin cancer that grows in the cells of the blood vessels or the lymph nodes. This usually occurs on the skin. However, there are also instances of the sarcoma developing inside the mouth. Human Herpesvirus 8 (HHV8) is one of the biggest causes of developing Kaposi Sarcoma (KS). There are different types of KS identified.

• Classic KS
  This is more common in elderly men, and lesions are observed in the legs, soles of the feet, and ankles.
• African KS
  The prevalence of infectious diseases like malaria in Africa makes this population more prone to this type of KS.
• HIV related KS
  People with HIV have a weakened immune system, and this makes them a target for the HHV8 virus. This results in the development of this type of skin cancer.
• Iatrogenic KS
  The immune systems become weak after organ transplant surgery. This can cause the development of KS in these individuals.

Actinic keratosis
This is another rare type of skin cancer that causes the growth of clusters of cells in the skin because of excessive UV exposure. This is pre-cancerous growth that can develop into actual skin cancer when left untreated.

Keratoacanthoma
This is a type of benign tumor that appears for no apparent reason. It also goes away on its own. These tumor cells, if they do not disappear, need to be treated as cancer cells.

Knowing all these rare types of skin cancer will help you identify changes in your skin better. You can also get an opinion from your doctor sooner when you notice changes in your skin’s structure and texture.