How to save your own life
-Susan Crandell, BettyConfidential.com
The first time, I was giving him a back rub and saw a dark spot that looked just like the photograph in an article about melanoma I'd been editing that day. His dermatologist confirmed it, and even let me watch when he carved the mole along with a soberingly large divot of tissue out of Steve's back. It's the kind of thing that makes your doctor's day. "Catch this cancer now, and you're fine," he told us. "But let it go, and it'll kill you."
A couple of years later, I spied a tiny black spot on
Steve's nose, like a blackhead only different. The doc said it
didn't look like any melanoma he'd seen, but he biopsied
the spot and sure enough, it was. Because the lesion was on
Steve's face, it was removed with a technique called Mohs
surgery, which minimizes scarring. Successive thin layers are
carved away and biopsied until a clear margin is obtained; that
way, as little tissue as possible is removed. No divots.
Stay alert and you can save somebody's life too - maybe even
your own. Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is 99
percent curable if it's found before it has penetrated the
epidermis. If it isn't caught early, though, survival rates can
drop to 15 percent. You should check yourself regularly; the
Skin Cancer Foundation recommends once a month.
You're looking for any change in moles or other spots - a shift
in color, an increase in size, a change in texture. Be alert for
moles with irregular outlines, as well as sores that continue to
itch or hurt, scab or bleed. Examine every square inch of skin.
Steve's doc says he once found a skin cancer between a
patient's toes. Skin cancers can even lurk under the hair on
your head. The Mayo Clinic's website has a slideshow of melanoma
lesions that can show you what to look for.
Scientists estimate that 90 percent of all cases of melanoma are
associated with exposure to the sun's UV rays. So protect
yourself when you go outdoors (see Sunscreen
Sense), and don't even think about trying a tanning bed.
People who use them can be twice as likely to develop certain skin
cancers. Recent research shows that indoor tanning can be a tough
habit to quit. Frequent tanners can have a hard time giving up the
glow, possibly because UV exposure stimulates the release of
endorphins that make them feel calm. In one study, subjects
actually experienced withdrawal symptoms when they stopped
tanning.
Of course, you want to find and eradicate the other types of skin
cancer - squamous cell and basal cell
cancers - but melanoma is the big killer.
That's the one you cannot afford to miss. Ask Steve.
Read more about skin cancer: Pregnant with Melanoma and Skin Cancer Prevention
