Symptoms. The beginning of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin is characterized by either a scaly red patch on the skin or a slow-growing dome-shaped bump. As the spot of the skin grows larger, the middle of the lesion experiences cell death or necrosis. The center may even slough or peel off. Eventually, the spot on the skin develops into an ulcer with a bump underneath that is similar to a large wart. The ulcer may bleed and will seem to never heal like other skin lesions normally do. Sometimes these skin patches or bumps will be asymptomatic and even medical professionals may have trouble identifying whether a bump is or is not skin cancer. There is no definite shape or coloring that is typical of squamous cell carcinoma so any bump on regularly sun-exposed areas that do not heal should be of concern and should be checked out by a physician.
