The Big "C"

DISCLAIMER: This post contains graphic images and is not for the faint of heart or stomach!

If you read our last post on Vitamin D, but still feel the need to get your "D" from the sun, let me talk to you about the Big "C".......CANCER!

1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. I am always surprised at how many patients just don't think it will ever happen to them.  Some patients just chuckle when I ask if they use sunscreen like I am asking them if they ever met the Pope.

Not all skin cancer is terminal, so when patients get basal cell carcinomas from the sun (UVB exposure), they don't think it's such a big deal!  Well, unless it's on your face....

photo source: James WD, Berger TG, Elston, DM. "Mohs Surgery" In:Andrews' Diseases of the Skin, 11th ed. USA. Saunders Elsevier:2011.

The above image is a young female patient with a basal cell on the left side of the nose. This picture was taken in surgery right after the cancer was removed before the stitches were done.  

The left side of the face gets UVB exposure primarily from being on the driver's side window of the car. For those of you with long commutes, you are accumulating UVB exposure every time you get behind the wheel. 

Also, think about the sun exposure during simple tasks like:

*walking between buildings at work

*sitting at your kids' baseball games

*walking the dog

*getting the mail

The radiation from the sun builds on itself year after year.  Even if you had burns years ago as a kid or used a tanning bed as a teenager for the prom, you are still at higher risk for skin cancer.

Pictured below is a male patient during a surgical procedure for removal of a skin cancer on the top of his head.  This image depicts how a quarter size skin cancer can turn into a much bigger scar due to the area on the body that is affected.  

photo source: James WD, Berger TG, Elston, DM. "Mohs Surgery" In:Andrews' Diseases of the Skin, 11th ed. USA. Saunders Elsevier :2011.

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW FOR INSTRUCTIONS ON REGULAR SELF SKIN EXAMS:

How to Detect Skin Cancer

The biggest thing I tell patients to look for is change.  Patients know when a mole has been there since they were a kid or if something is new.  

Here are a few questions I get asked all the time:

1.  Will a base tan keep me from burning? 
Answer:  NO-A base tan is already an absorption of the UVB radiation. Tanned skin is the result of the UVB radiation pulling the colored cells of your skin to the surface to protect itself; it's your bodies' defense mechanism. Short, intense periods of radiation (like a tanning bed) increase the risk of skin cancer significantly.

2.  Are self tannner or spray tans safe?
Answer: YES-self tanner is the way to go if you want to give some color to your skin.

3.  Do I only need a skin exam if I notice something?
Answer: NO-Annual skin exams with your dermatologist are an important way to track your moles and help you to know when something has changed or doesn't look right. Dermatologists compare exams to the previous year. At my office we have 3-D image capabilities in our electronic record so we can place and record exact size, shape, and location of moles.

SO NOW THAT YOU ARE FREAKED OUT......

STAY TUNED FOR NEXT WEEK ON PROPER USE OF SUNSCREEN AND BE PREPARED TO "GO HEAVY ON THE METALS!!"

In good health,

Kris & Amy



statistics and skin exam link are from spotskincancer.org and the American Academy of Dermatology