There are several rare types of skin cancer, including Kaposi’s sarcoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, and sebaceous gland carcinoma. Exposure to the sun, weak immunity, and malfunctioning oil glands of the skin are the most common causes. Here’s everything you must know about these rare types of skin cancer:

Merkel cell carcinoma
This rare type of skin cancer can be identified by a flesh-colored or bluish-red nodule that usually appears on the neck, head, or face. This condition is also called neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin, and it mostly affects people during old age. Also, it is often associated with the overexposure of the skin to the harmful rays of the sun or a weak immune system. This type of cancer is aggressive, grows rapidly, and spreads quickly to other parts of the body. The treatment for Merkel cell carcinoma depends on how far the disease has spread.

The initial symptom is a tumor or nodule that grows rapidly and is usually painless. The nodule is generally skin-colored or will appear in shades of purple, red, or blue. These tumors usually grow on the neck, head, or face, but they can affect any part of the body, including the areas not frequently exposed to the sun.

Kaposi’s sarcoma
This is another rare type of skin cancer that causes tumors with small blood vessels growing under the skin surface. These tumors usually affect the anus, nose, eyes, and mouth, and the disease can also spread to the stomach, intestines, lungs, and lymph nodes.

There are four types of Kaposi’s sarcoma: AIDS-associated, classic, endemic, and immunosuppressive. The most prominent symptoms of this rare type of skin cancer are the appearance of flat skin lesions that are usually painless. They can appear purple or red in color on white skin and brown, blue, or black on dark skin. These lesions are not harmful; they do not cause any itching and do not ooze out any liquid. As the disease progresses, the lesions can star appearing on new spots every week, and these lesions can also grow or merge with each other in some cases.

Sebaceous gland carcinoma
This rare type of skin cancer typically develops in the oil glands in the skin. Eyelids are most commonly affected by this type of skin cancer, which can initially appear as a lump or swelling on the eyelid skin. When the disease progresses, the lump can start bleeding or draining. When cancer develops in other parts of the body, it appears in the form of a yellow lump that might bleed.

The treatment for this type of skin cancer is usually surgery, but it can spread to other body parts and become difficult to cure in the advanced stages.