Summer Skin Cancer Message

Recently a friend posted a very impactful message on her Facebook page (thanks, Lisa!) that I would like to recommend. The youtube video is called "Dear 16 year-old Me", and shows real people who lives have been deeply affected by melanoma, and the message they would love to go back in time and send to themselves (and their loved ones) before they started purposefully sun tanning to "look healthy".

Many people are unaware that the skin cancer MELANOMA is a very serious cancer. Because it looks like a simple little funny-looking mole on the skin, there is often the assumption that a quick skin biopsy will fully take care of the issue. Not so! While these cancers start in the pigment-producing skin cells, they can invade locally and then break off and metastasize to the liver, lungs and even the brain.

Melanoma skin cancers kill roughly 8000 people in the United States every year, and show up in an estimated 100,000 people annually. (Numbers on this vary greatly, partly because although melanoma cases should be reported to central cancer registries, many providers are unaware of this these reporting requirements.)  I know in my practice, I have seen younger and younger patients (not just because I am growing older!) with this scary diagnosis. Did you know that using a tanning bed before you turn 35 will cause a 75% increased risk of developing this cancer? Other risk factors include blistering sunburns in childhood, living at higher altitude (>2300 feet), family history of melanoma, fair skin, red or blond hair and more than 5 sunburns in your entire lifetime.

Remember the ABCDE's of Melanoma:
Asymmetry
Border (that looks irregular)
Color variation (including reds, blacks or blues)
Diameter (>6mm)
Elevation  (you can feel it as a bump above the skin)

And ultimately, remember this- if all your "moles" look the same, and ONE looks different- please go get that one checked out. Just like Sesame Street, if "one of these things is not like the others" then it "doesn't belong"!

BOTTOM LINE: Please, watch the video- the message is very effective. And remember to wear sunscreen and protective clothing this summer!

Modeling credit: A. Lampert (who will wear more sunscreen next time...)

Got Your "Base Tan" for Summer?

Hooray! School is out (at least in Texas) and summertime is here. Before your teen convinces you she must head to a tanning booth to get that "base tan" before your family's beach vacation, be aware of this- the notion of a "base tan" has no scientific basis, nor support from dermatologists. In fact, the American Academy of Dermatology (AADA) testified last year at FDA hearings about the risks of indoor tanning. These devices have shared the same low risk category as bandaids and tongue depressors, yet we have had medical evidence for years that they clearly cause skin cancers.

Melanoma rates are increasing across the board, and melanoma is now the number one cancer in young people aged 25-29, and the second most common cancer in 15-29 year olds. Use of a tanning bed before the age of 35 increases your risk of developing melanoma by a whopping 75%! I can personally attest in my own practice that I have diagnosed multiple cases of melanoma in the last couple years, primarily in people younger than I am- which really hits home. (I'm 46.) Having lost a friend to melanoma many years ago, I am very aware that skin cancers are not simply cosmetic nuisances.

Tanning beds are not "safe", and they target young people (especially women) with their ads. Many tanning salons promote their "safe" or "harmless" type of UV radiation, but the UVA rays cause damage in the same fashion as UVB rays- only a bit more slowly and more deeply.

The American Academy of Dermatology hopes the FDA will ban indoor tanning devices all together, but at the least, should require a minimum age of 18 for ANY indoor tanning and should mandate obtaining informed consent from clients AFTER educating them about the real risks of skin cancer. The AADA also strongly recommends changing the risk category of these machines to match the health risks they create.

BOTTOM LINE: TANNING is NOT SAFE and "base tans" don't help! Use sunscreen, wear protective clothing and stay away from tanning beds all together.


PS It's June 1st- Change those AIR FILTERS!

Getting that "Base Tan" for Summer Vacation?

Marketing is everything, isn't it? How many of you have headed to a tanning booth to get that "base tan" before heading out for a beach vacation? Here's a note- that notion has no scientific basis, nor support from dermatologists. In fact, the American Academy of Dermatology (AADA) testified recently at FDA hearings about the risks of indoor tanning. These devices have shared the same low risk category as bandaids and tongue depressors, yet we have had medical evidence for years that they clearly cause skin cancers.

Melanoma rates are increasing across the board, and melanoma is now the number one cancer in young people aged 25-29, and the second most common cancer in 15-29 year olds. Use of a tanning bed before the age of 35 increases your risk of developing melanoma by a whopping 75%! I can personally attest in my own practice that I have diagnosed 3 cases of melanoma just in the past few months, primarily in people younger than I am- which really hits home. (I'm 45.) Having lost a friend to melanoma many years ago, I am very aware that skin cancers are not simply cosmetic nuisances.

Tanning beds are not "safe", and they target young people (especially women) with their ads. Many tanning salons promote their "safe" or "harmless" type of UV radiation, but the UVA rays cause damage in the same fashion as UVB rays- only a bit more slowly and more deeply.

The American Academy of Dermatology hopes the FDA will ban indoor tanning devices all together, but at the least, should require a minimum age of 18 for ANY indoor tanning and should mandate obtaining informed consent from clients AFTER educating them about the real risks of skin cancer. The AADA also strongly recommends changing the risk category of these machines to match the health risks they create.

BOTTOM LINE: TANNING is NOT SAFE! Use sunscreen and stay away from tanning beds all together.