Detecting Skin Cancer
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Introduction
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Skin cancer is a common disease that can affect anyone, regardless of race, age, gender, or genetics. However, some factors may increase your risk, such as age and genetic history. In 2007 there were 59,940 cases of cancer in the form of skin melanoma. That same year 8,110 patients died of skin cancer (American Cancer Society, 2007). These statistics show how important it is to be proactive about detecting skin cancer. There are two types of skin detection methods: self exams and exams done by a physician or dermatologist.
ABC's of Skin Cancer
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When looking at your skin to detect skin cancer you will want to keep in mind your ABCs. Carefully look across your entire body and assess growths or legions:
Asymmetrical: Do the two ends of the growth not match up?
Borders: Does the growth have irregular borders?
Color: Does the growth have a varying color to it?
Diameter: Is the diameter of the growth more than 6mm (about the size of a pencil eraser)
Evolving: Does part of the growth or lesion look like it is changing in shape, size, or color more than the rest of the growth? -
Self Exam
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Since no one is immune to skin cancer, it is important to include skin cancer detection in your regular self health examinations. In a self exam, look for any suspicious moles or lesions on the skin. You can do this either by enlisting a family member's help or by using a full-length mirror. Thoroughly examine your entire body for any marks or skin irregularities. Record them on the body mole map (see Resources).
Look for new irregularities and record any changes in preexisting moles or skin growths. This allows you to track any new moles or other growths each month. If any of the irregularities match the ABC's of skin cancer detection, see your physician or dermatologist as soon as possible to have testing done on the area.
Professional Exam
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The other detection method for skin cancer is through a yearly visit to a dermatologist. A dermatologist can quite often tell just from looking at a mole, legion, or skin growth that you may have signs of a skin melanoma. He also has the ability to remove a sample from the area and have it tested for a diagnosis. If your result comes back positive, she can also quickly get you set up in a treatment program to combat the skin cancer quickly and effectively. If detected early, skin cancer has a 99% survival rate for localized skin cancer and a 91% survival rate overall over a five year period (American Cancer Society).
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Resources
- Photo Credit http://img.timeinc.net/health
