The incidence and mortality of skin cancer have increased exponentially during the past several decades, and every year the figure mounts. Learn more about the signs and symptoms of skin cancer so you can protect yourself.
Protect Yourself and Your Family All Year Round
Do not sunbathe.
Avoid unnecessary sun exposure, especially between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., the peak hours for harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
When outdoors, use sunscreens rated SPF 15 or higher. Apply them liberally, uniformly, and frequently.
When exposed to sunlight, wear protective clothing such as long pants, long-sleeved shirts, broad-brimmed hats, and UV-protective sunglasses.
Stay away from artificial tanning devices.
Teach your children good sun protection habits at an early age: The damage that leads to adult skin cancers starts in childhood.
Examine your skin head to toe at least once every three months
The sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation can penetrate many types of clothes?
It can also go through automobile and residential windows?
It can damage your eyes, contributing to cataracts, macular degeneration, and eyelid cancers?
When you're on snow or ice, your face and eyes are at almost twice the risk of UV damage because of reflected glare?
When a melanoma is detected at an early stage and treated, it Is usually curable. Some melanomas are hidden in everyday life - by inconspicuous locations on the body; by clothing; even by hair on our heads. But many, if not most, melanomas can be spotted as soon as they arise - if you know what to look for and check for those signs.
Asymmetry: Most early melanomas are asymmetrical: a line through the middle would not create matching halves. Common moles are round and symmetrical.
Border: The borders of early melanomas are often uneven and may have scalloped or notched edges. Common moles have smoother, more even borders.
Color: Common moles usually are a single shade of brown. Varied shades of brown, tan, or black are often the first sign of melanoma. As melanomas progress, the colors red, white and blue may appear.
Diameter: Early melanomas tend to grow larger than common moles - generally to at least the size of a pencil eraser (about 6mm, or 1/4 inch, in diameter)
when we receive a substantial amount of our lifetime sun exposure - is considered a key risk factor for melanoma, the most dangerous kind of skin cancer, because it can be lethal. Just one blistering sunburn in childhood is estimated to double the risk of getting melanoma later in life. The flip side of this is that if we can prevent sunburns in kids, skin cancer and death from skin cancer should decrease. Protect your children wherever they are.
People who burn easily in the sun, who lack natural pigment protection, are most at risk for skin cancer. Typically, people with fair skin, blonde or light-colored hair, green or blue eyes and people who freckle easily are at greatest risk. Skin cancer can occur in people of Hispanic and African American backgrounds, as well as people with darker complexions. Certainly, people who have had a family member with melanoma should pay special attention to sun protection. Anyone can develop skin cancer! More teenagers and young adults are being diagnosed with skin cancer than ever before. This includes a rise in the deadliest form of skin cancer - melanoma.
If you can spot it, you can stop it
Coupled with a yearly skin exam by a doctor, self-examination of your skin once a month is the best way to detect the early warning signs of basal cell carcinoma , squamous cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma, the three main types of skin cancer. Look for a new growth or any skin change.
A bright light
A full-length mirror
A hand mirror
Two chairs or stools
A blow dryer
Examine head and face, using one or both mirrors. Use blow-dryer to inspect scalp.
Check hands, including nails. In full-length mirror, examine elbows, arms, underarms.
Focus on neck, chest, torso. Women: Check under breasts.
With back to the mirror, use hand mirror to inspect back of neck, shoulders, upper arms, back, buttocks, legs.
Sitting down, check legs and feet, including soles, heels, and nails. Use hand mirror to examine genitals.
Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is especially hard to stop once it has spread (metastasized) to other parts of the body. But it can be readily treated in its earliest stages.
Mohs Surgery has been shown to be a highly effective treatment for certain types of skin cancer, with a cure rate of up to 99% for certain cancers. Mohs surgery provides the most precise method for removal of all cancerous tissue, while sparing the greatest amount of healthy tissue. For this reason, Mohs surgery typically results in a significantly smaller surgical defect and less noticeable scarring, as compared to other methods of skin cancer treatment. The Mohs procedure is recommended for skin cancer removal in anatomic areas where maximum preservation of healthy tissue is desirable for cosmetic and functional purposes. It may also be indicated for lesions that have recurred following prior treatment, or for lesions which have the greatest propensity for recurrence.
The basic tenets of the American Society for Mohs Surgery are as follows:
Adherence to strict medical-ethical standards in advancing the Mohs procedure and this society, including strong professional respect for all other individuals and organizations likewise dedicated to the practice of Mohs surgery.
Promotion of the highest standards of patient care relating to Mohs surgery for the surgical removal of skin cancer and other appropriate malignancies.
Establishment of an ongoing quality assurance program and peer review of ASMS Fellow members.
Providing a forum for the professional exchange of ideas and methodology for Mohs surgery and related basic sciences.
Promoting of professional education of our members and the medical community in the principles and practice of Mohs surgery.
Encouragment of research into all methods of microscopically controlled removal of malignant tissue.
Provide ongoing information and public education relative to Mohs surgery.