As the beautiful weather this week is enticing people to spend more time outdoors, health officials are reminding people to protect their skin.
Areas frequently exposed to the sun are more prone to melanoma, though it can develop anywhere on the body.
Monitoring for new or changing moles, spots that grow quickly, or alterations in existing skin marks is crucial.
Dr. Patrick Kehoe is a board-certified dermatologist with Aspirus Health.
“The UV light from the sun increases our risk for melanoma, and the best way to protect that from that sun exposure is with wide brim hats and long sleeve shirts. That is actually even more effective than sunscreen,” said Kehoe. “It's important to put sunscreen wherever you can't cover yourself with a hat or a long sleeve shirt, but that's the most important thing you can do to prevent melanoma.”
Detecting melanoma early significantly diminishes the risk of it spreading to other body parts.
Kehoe says remember your ABCDEs:
- A – Asymmetry: One half of the mole doesn’t match the other.
- B – Border: Edges are uneven, blurred, or notched.
- C – Color: The mole has multiple colors, including black, blue, white, or gray.
- D – Diameter: Larger than a pencil eraser.
- E – Evolving: Changes in size, shape, or color over time.
“Melanoma, unfortunately, can spread relatively quickly. Some patients can have melanoma spread within months of it appearing,” said Kehoe. “Fortunately, most cases of melanoma are a bit slower, and so if as long as we catch it early, usually the risk is quite low.”
Melanoma is the deadliest and the third most common type of skin cancer.
About 7,500 people die each year of melanoma.
May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month.
