No one is immune to the chance of being diagnosed with skin cancer. It sees no color, race, gender or economic status. It is blind to the fact that you may be a Mother, Father, Sister, Brother or Lover. That is why it is so important that you pay attention to your body–your moles and freckles. Look for the signs of skin cancer before it finds you!
To make it easy just follow the ABCDE’s of skin cancer:
- A is for asymmetry. Suspicious moles will not be even if you were to draw an invisible line down the middle of it.
- B is for border. A mole with blurry or spotty edges is cause for concern.
- C is for color. Moles should be all the same color and never change. If yours does then have it evaluated by a doctor.
- D is for diameter. If it is larger than a pencil eraser it needs to be examined. Even if it normal in asymmetry, border and color.
- E is for elevation which means the mole is raised above the surface or has an uneven surface.
Early detection is key!
We all have that attitude of invincibility. At times we put that same invincible status on celebrities and athletes. Lots of celebrities have been diagnosed with skin cancer and some have succumb to it like Bob Marley. Recently, Bruce Jenner had surgery to remove a red mark that was identified as early stage skin cancer. Lucky for him it only left a small scar of the right
side of his face. Reports say that doctors gave Bruce the advice of wearing a hat while he golfed. Hope he listens!
No matter what we think or how untouchable we feel it is up to everyone to spread awareness about skin cancer and look out for each other. Education is such an important factor. What we don’t know may and will kill us. Scary thought right? Well, a new study published in the Archives of Dermatology this month states that socio-economic status has a lot to do with Melanoma survival rates. Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. If not caught early it has a seven to ten percent five-year survival rate. It was found that people of a higher socio-economic status were more likely to survive Melanoma. This could be due to the fact that those with a lower socio-economic status usually have inadequate health insurance, less knowledge of skin cancer, lower rates of self skin examinations and physician screenings. It makes sense, but does it have to be that way?
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