Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers. Learn the best practices to protect yourself and how to identify melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
I’m healthy today and I have Troy Aikman to thank for it. No, seriously. The Hall of Fame quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys had a huge impact on my health. Because of his diagnosis of melanoma, I went to a dermatologist for my first skin check-up and discovered I had melanoma, too.
I was only 33 at the time, and I had just given birth to baby number 3, so I had my hands full and could have ignored that nagging voice in my head. But for some reason, I didn’t. And, boy, am I glad! The doctor biopsied a mole on the back of my thigh. I have a lot of moles and this one, though small, was dark and had irregular edges.
The biopsy came back positive for melanoma in-situ, meaning it was in the very early stages. The doctor removed a patch of skin about two inches wide by one inch tall shaped like a football (I’M NOT KIDDING, A FOOTBALL).
You’re more likely to get skin cancer than any other kind
Each year, there are more skin cancers diagnosed than those of the breast, prostate, colon and lung combined. About 20 percent of Americans will have skin cancer during their lifetimes. Most will get either basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma. A small percentage will get melanoma, which accounts for most skin cancer deaths.
I was one of the small percentage (about 1 percent of all those with cancer) to be diagnosed with melanoma, but the good news is that it is very treatable when caught early.
I went once a year to the dermatologist from fall of 1998 until the summer of 2011 when I had my second melanoma removed, this time a Stage 2 lesion (deeper in the skin but no other treatment required) from the side of my knee. Now I go twice a year and am careful to mention any changes I detect (or suspect) in my moles.
What you need to know protect yourself against skin cancer:
1. Nothing can replace early detection, so ask your doctor to check your skin.
2. When evaluating your own moles, remember ABCDE:
- A is for Asymmetry. One side of the mole doesn’t match the other.
- B is for Borders. Edges are ragged, notched or blurred.
- C is for Color. The color is not uniform with two or more shades present.
- D is for Diameter. The mole is greater than ¼ inch in diameter, or about the size of a pencil’s eraser (any growth should be evaluated).
- E is for Evolution. There is a change in the size, shape, symptoms (such as itching or tenderness), surface (especially bleeding), or color of a mole. (from melanoma.org)
If you even THINK you might have any of these issues, see a doctor.
3. Try to avoid being out in the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun’s rays are strongest. Plan exercise and yard work early in the day and fun at the pool or beach for late afternoon/early evening.
4. Wear sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15 every day; go to 30 or higher SPF for outdoor activities and re-apply often if you’re going in the water or sweating a lot. Look for a broad-spectrum sunscreen that protects skin from UVA and UVB rays. My dermatologist also recommends looking for a product with zinc oxide and applying it half an hour before sun exposure.
5. Get even more protection. When we went to Hawaii in December 2015, I wore a long sleeve swim shirt while swimming, and I stayed under an umbrella when I sat on the beach. Of course I wore sunscreen, too, and returned home sunburn free.
When my hubby and I visited Hawaii in December 2015, I wore LOTS of sunscreen and stayed under an umbrella while on the beach.
Again, there is NO substitute for asking your doctor to examine your skin. Whether you’re 15 or 85, you could have skin cancer.
While Troy Aikman and I have had treatment for early melanoma and enjoyed many years of good health, some of those who get melanoma are not so fortunate.
To end this post, I’d like to pay tribute to Eva Cassidy, a talented singer who lost her life to melanoma at age 33 in 1996, just two years before I was first diagnosed, also at age 33. As a child, Eva loved “The Wizard of Oz” and is best known for her lovely, unique take on “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” I think it’s the perfect song today for Plum Prairie Ranch. Learn more about Eva at evacassidy.org.