Skin Safety: The Importance of Skin Cancer Screening

SKIN SAFETY THE IMPORTANCE OF SKIN CANCER SCREENING May Is Skin Cancer Awareness Month so here are the facts: A LOOK AT SKIN CANCER SCREENING IT SAVES LIVES EARLY DETECTION IT'S EASY IS ESSENTIAL Melanoma is the 6th 90% of melanomas most common cancer can be spotted Many skin cancers are in the U.S. without magnification 95% curable with early detection and treatment Melanoma causes Examine your own 75% of deaths from skin in between visits The longer the cancer skin cancer to your dermatologist grows, the greater the risk of death from the disease THE MAJOR TYPES OF SKIN CANCER Basal cell carcinoma MOST common type of skin cancer USUALLY found on the head, neck, and hands OFTEN begins as a small, round, red bump Squamous cell carcinoma 2ND USUALLY OFTEN found on skin that's begins as raised, scaly growths that most common type of skin cancer exposed to the sun look like warts Malignant melanoma CAUSES CAN MAY approximately appear anywhere on look like a discolored, 8,650 deaths the body, even parts misshapen, or per year that are not exposed uneven mole to the sun Any changes in existing moles should be reported to your dermatologist ABCDE DANGER SIGNS IN PIGMENTED LESIONS A O ASYMMETRY B BORDER IRREGULAR CO COLOR VARIED D DIAMETER LARGER THAN 6 MM E O EVOLVING APPEARANCE SKIN CANCER PREVENTION TIPS Wear sunscreen Use sunscreen daily with at least SPF 15 and both UVA and UVB protection Stay in the shade SPF Avoid the sun when it's 30 strongest, usually between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Get annual skin exams Examine yourself for changes and visit your dermatologist regularly for a thorough exam INFOGRAPHIC DG PROVIDED BY DERMATOLOGY GROUP of Southem Calfomia, Inc. www.dermatologygroupsocal.com Sources: http://www.dermatologysocal.com/skin-cancer-los-angeles http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/screening/skin/HealthProfessional/page2 http://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/melanoma/melanoma-prevention- quidelines/melanoma-screening-saves-lives http://www.skincancer.org/prevention/sun-protection/prevention-guidelines