We must be proactive when it comes to cancer detection and prevention
Skin cancer can impact anyone at any time that’s why it’s best to pay attention to all of the changes your body shows you. We must be proactive when it comes to cancer detection and prevention because skin cancer is most treatable when it is detected in an early stage.
Although melanoma can appear in places hidden from sunlight, the most preventable risk according to many specialists is ultraviolet radiation exposure. Regardless of our skin color, we must seek to protect ourselves from the sun’s UV rays. Exposing a mole to UV radiation can trigger a mutation which represents an abnormal cell division that characterizes cancer.
Most adults have somewhere between 10 and 40 moles, but those with a lighter skin might have much more. Most of the time, during the years, moles change in appearance or size and rarely become a melanoma, a potentially deadly skin cancer. In some cases, the change of a mole from benign to cancerous can be genetic.
Rapidly rising for at least 30 years, melanoma rates increase with age which is why the American Academy of Dermatology recommends people get tested periodically.
When monitoring our skin for signs of skin cancer, we must pay particular attention to hard-to-see areas.
Common moles are those developed until the age of 40 or those that we are born with. According to the National Cancer Institute, people over 50 are most likely to develop a form of melanoma although other researchers have questioned this theory.
Several strategies for recognizing early signs of melanoma have been drawn up by specialists. Called the Ugly Duckling sign, it represents a mole that sticks out in a group of moles, when it changes its color, shape or size rapidly. If a mole is asymmetrical, this could be a sign of melanoma. Moreover, if the borders of a mole are uneven, or it has a variety of colors, this could also be an early sign of melanoma.
Atypical moles especially appear during puberty. Most of them are considered benign and don’t necessarily become melanoma, but having more than five atypical moles can be linked to higher risks of developing skin cancer.
Doctors advise that in the case of abnormal changes like spots that are different from others, bleeding on the skin or asymmetrical moles with uneven borders to make an appointment as soon as possible.
Image credits : Wikipedia
Deborah Campbell
