Learn the Signs of Skin Cancer, Reduce Your Risk
May is the gateway to summer and the perfect time to evaluate your skin health. It’s also Skin Cancer Awareness Month, a national movement that advocates the prevention and early detection of skin cancer. To lower your risk, it’s important to understand how to protect your skin and identify the signs. While no one wants to get a cancer diagnosis, discovering it at its earliest stage gives you the best possible chance of survival. According to The American Academy of Dermatology, when detected and treated early, the five-year survival rate for melanoma, the most serious form of cancer, is 99 percent.
At Craft Body Scan, our scan technology can detect the early signs of all types of life-threatening disease, including breast, colon and skin cancer. Considering that more than two people die of skin cancer in the U.S. every hour, getting a body scan for early detection is a powerful way to be proactive about your health. For other ways to reduce your skin cancer risk, keep reading.
Understanding Skin Cancer
According to the American Academy of Dermatology, skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. Currently, it is estimated that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. Approximately 9,500 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with skin cancer every day.
Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer. Melanoma occurs when the pigment-producing cells that give color to the skin become cancerous. Melanomas can occur anywhere on the body. Symptoms might include a new mole, change in an existing mole, bigger mole diameter, darkening of the skin, mole color changes or a mole with an irregular border.
Your Risk Factors
Skin cancer rates are higher in women than in men before age 50, but are higher in men after age 50. Most skin cancer is caused by UV exposure. Risk factors for all types of skin cancer include:
- Skin that burns easily
- Blonde or red hair
- A history of excessive sun exposure
- A history of sunburns; more than five sunburns doubles your melanoma risk
- Tanning bed use
- A weakened immune system
- A history of skin cancer
The Importance of Early Detection
Melanoma causes most skin cancer deaths in the United States. It can spread quickly throughout the body, so it’s especially important to detect this type of skin cancer early. With early detection, treatment is most likely to be successful. However, given time to grow and spread, treatment for skin cancer becomes more difficult.
Tips for Skin Cancer Prevention
To prevent skin cancer, follow these easy tips:
- Stay out of the sun as much as possible between 10 am and 4 pm.
- When outdoors, wear long sleeves, long pants or a long skirt, and a wide-brimmed hat.
- Apply sunscreen with at least SPF 30. Follow the directions for application and re-application. Typically, you should re-apply once every two hours.
- Avoid the use of indoor tanning machines.
- Check your skin for changes regularly.
- Wear sunglasses that block UVA and UVB rays
How to Screen for Skin Cancer
- Examine Your Skin Once a Month
One best practice for early detection is to perform a self-exam of your skin monthly. During a self-exam, look for:
- A new, unusual growth on the skin
- Changes in the diameter, shape or color of an existing mole
- A spot that is itchy or painful
- A non-healing sore that bleeds or develops a crust
- A red- or skin-colored shiny bump on the skin
- A red rough or scaly spot
- An asymmetrical mole or one with an irregular border
If you spot a suspicious mole, get it checked by your dermatologist as soon as possible.
- See a Dermatologist
If you are at a higher risk for skin cancer, see your dermatologist for a full-body skin exam once a year or as directed by your physician. Before your appointment, examine your skin for new growths and take note of any changes in your skin.
- Get a Cancer Scan Once a Year
A CT (computed tomography) scan can detect many types of cancer in the body, including melanoma. CT scanning involves the use of specialized X-ray equipment that can take images from different angles. The imaging is then sent to a computer, which creates pictures of the area being investigated. A radiologist will read the scans and examine the lungs, liver, spleen, gallbladder, pancreas, spine and kidneys, and look for tumors, anatomical abnormalities, and other signs of disease.
With Early Detection, Skin Cancer Is Highly Treatable
Skin Cancer Awareness month is once a year, but at Craft Body Scan, it’s every day. We support early detection by providing health scans that can detect small warning signs before they become larger problems. If you have any of the risk factors for skin cancer or current concerns about your skin health, it’s time to schedule a cancer screening with us, or talk to your dermatologist. When detected at an early stage, skin cancer is treatable.
Cancer screenings are available at Craft Body Scan. Now through May 31, 2024, save 20% on the cancer scan of your choice.*
*Includes heart, heart and lung, virtual colonoscopy, full body scan, presidential body scan, brain MRI or whole-body MRI.
