I come from a generation where we never thought much about the risks of skin cancer from over exposure to the sun. I cringe now to think of the days I spent as a teen basting my body with baby oil and then laying out to fry in the sun like Kentucky fried chicken. This was a sure fire recipe for skin damage or worse. But back then we didn't know what we know now. This was how we tanned but more often than not, instead of tanning, I would repeat the process of burning and peeling. Despite my pain I would continue this ritual each summer.
Never thought much about skin cancer until a friend of mine told me a horrifying story. My friend had a younger brother who was getting ready for work and was combing his hair. The teeth of the comb raked too hard on his scalp and he felt blood dripping down his forehead. There was a mole on his scalp that his hair was covering which was now bleeding. He did not know he had skin cancer. He had caught it too late and the cancer had already spread. My friend's brother ended up dying.
The really sad part of this story is that my friend's brother's death could have been easily prevented. The American Cancer Society tells us that "For localized melanoma, the 5-year survival rate is 99%; survival rates for regional and distant stage diseases are 65% and 16%, respectively. About 80% of melanomas are diagnosed at a localized stage." Translated, this means if you catch skin cancer in its early stages there is an extremely high rate for survival.
After telling me the story of how his brother died he gave me two pieces of advice which I have listened to which has undoubtedly saved my life. He told me to check my moles regularly for any changes and to see a dermatologist at least yearly. Our Doctor Berman tells us here how to check our "Moles, and Other Precancerous Lesions." I will be writing more about moles in subsequent posts so stay tuned.
One of the problems with detecting skin cancer early is that many of us are not checking our skin or moles for changes nor are we seeking the guidance from a doctor about potentially deadly skin changes. A 2008 research study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology showed that only 8% of surveyed U.S. workers had a skin exam in the previous 12 months. Although skin cancer is one of the more common cancers people are not being screened for this.
I am going to go out on a limb here and say that while it is good to get your skin checked during your annual physical exam with your general practitioner, it is probably best to see a dermatologist to get a thorough screening for any potential risks for skin cancer. In an article entitled, "Three Point Check List of Dermoscopy. A new screening method for early detection of melanoma" the author suggests that GP's "get it right" only 60% of the time, meaning that they sometimes have difficulty with identifying pre-cancerous or cancerous skin growths and moles.
