Spring has arrived! I know many of you are excited to enjoy more sunshine, the chirping birds, warm blowing breezes, the blooming flowers, and spending more time outside. The Women’s Pavilion, P.S.C. is honoring Melanoma Awareness Month this May, in hopes to remind Owensboro citizens, young and old, of the dangers of skin cancer.
I am a Stage III Melanoma Survivor. I admit to laying out on summer days for hours at a time without sunscreen. I even used the tanning bed, fully aware of the potential risk of getting melanoma, but would think to myself, “I’m too young and healthy to get cancer.” At 23 years-old, I was diagnosed with cutaneous melanoma which was found in a dark, asymmetric mole on my left upper back. Two years later, I was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma, which was located in the lymph nodes in my neck. This devastating discovery led to a six-hour surgical procedure in attempt to resect the cancerous cells in my neck. Once I was healed from my lymph node dissection, I underwent 6 weeks of radiation treatments, 1 month of chemo-infusions, and an entire year of self-injected medication. Was it worth being tan? No way.
Your skin is the largest and most beautiful organ you have, so we need to nourish and protect it. This is important, not only to stay healthy, but to stay youthful-looking as well. According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancers are the most common form of cancers. Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are the two most common types of skin cancer; however, melanoma is the most dangerous and aggressive.
The following statistics were obtained by Melanoma Research Foundation:
• Melanoma is the most common cancer in men over age 50 (yes –even more than prostate and colon cancers)
• Melanoma is the second most common cancer in individuals age 15-29.
• Exposure to tanning beds before age 30 increases your risk by 75%
• Young people who use tanning beds are 8 times more likely to develop melanoma.
Since 1979, The American Cancer Foundation has been persistent in reporting that sunscreen alone is not enough. Read their full list of skin cancer prevention tips:
• Seek the shade, especially between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Do not burn.
• Avoid tanning and UV tanning booths.
• Cover up with clothing, including a broad-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses.
• Use a broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher every day. For extended outdoor activity, use a water-resistant, broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.
• Apply 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of sunscreen to your entire body 30 minutes before going outside. Reapply every two hours or immediately after swimming or excessive sweating.
• Keep newborns out of the sun. Sunscreens should be used on babies over the age of six months.
• Examine your skin head-to-toe every month.
• See your physician every year for a professional skin exam.
The ABCDE’s of Melanoma
Characteristics of a suspicious skin lesion:
A –asymmetry – unusual shape
B –borders –uneven borders
C –color –uneven color
D –diameter –larger than the size of an eraser on the end of a pencil
E –evolving –change in size, shape, color or change in characteristic (i.e. itching, bleeding, crusting)
My colleagues, Drs. Angela Dawson, Andrea Moore, Nurse Practitioners Brende Lott, Ann Watson, and I are wanting to help spread the word about melanoma and its dangers. The Women’s Pavilion, P.S.C. is broadening its scope of practice to include the addition of Women’s Health Primary Care. Dr. Lacey Hutchinson will be joining The Women’s Pavilion, P.S.C. in July 2014.
As a health care provider and melanoma fighter, I am excited to offer women of the Owensboro area a chance to have their skin checked for atypical or suspicious moles. We are asking women to call and schedule their screening time, no payment required. Protect the skin you’re in, Owensboro!
FREE Melanoma Screenings – May 8 at The Women’s Pavilion, P.S.C.
Jamie Mitchell, PA-C. Call to schedule: (270) 926-3700. Visit: www.thewomenspavilion.com.