Simple Steps to Protect Yourself from Melanoma Skin Cancer




Each year, about 75,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma, and around 10,000 people will die from it. While anyone can get it, those most often diagnosed are Caucasians, age 50 and older. And those with the highest risk are people with red or blond hair, blue or green eyes, fair skin, freckles, moles, a family history of skin cancer and those who had blistering sunburns in their youth.

The best way you can guard against melanoma and other skin cancers (basal and squamous cell carcinomas) is to protect yourself from the sun, and if you’re over age 50, get a full-body skin exam done by a dermatologist every year, especially if you’re high risk.

Self-examinations done every month or so is also a smart way to detect early problems. Using mirrors, check the front and backside of your entire body. Be on the lookout for new growths, moles that have changed, or sores that don’t heal. In the spring and summer, there are a variety of places that offer free skin cancer screenings. Check with the American Academy of Dermatology (888-462-3376, aad.org/public/spotskin cancer), which offers screenings done by hundreds of volunteer dermatologists across the U.S.

Avoid tanning beds, and when you go outside, slather on broad-spectrum SPF 30, water-resistant sunscreen on both sunny and cloudy days. Also, seek the shade when rays are most intense – between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. You can also protect your skin by wearing a wide-brimmed hat, and long sleeves and pants when possible.

If melanoma is caught and treated early, it’s nearly 100 percent curable. But if it’s not, the cancer can advance and spread to other parts of the body, where it becomes hard to treat and can be fatal. Standard treatment for melanoma is surgical removal. In advanced cases however, chemotherapy or radiation may also be used, along with a variety of new drug treatments.

JIM MILLER is an author of “The Savvy Senior” book. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org.



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