Skin Cancer

You didn’t expect to be outdoors all day but were caught unprepared and without sunscreen. Now you have a blistering red burn. Is there anything you can do to reverse the UV radiation damage to your skin that can potentially lead to cancer?

It’s a myth that people of color, including African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans and Pacific Islanders, don’t get skin cancer.
Diagnosing skin cancer early — and accurately — is the key to treating it most effectively, and perhaps the most important tool for getting the accurate diagnosis is a biopsy technique called a punch biopsy.
While it might be tempting to use the two words interchangeably, there are distinctions to be made between melanoma and skin cancer.

Many things can cause an itch: dry skin, poison ivy and bug bites, to name a few. Typically skin cancer isn’t the first cause that comes to mind when you itch, but if the irritation persists, it might be something you want a dermatologist to look at.

Mohs surgery offers a more efficient and advanced approach that makes it less likely that the cancer will return, because surgeons will make small excisions on the same day until they are satisfied that the cancer has been removed.
"It can be very hard to identify a skin cancer, because hundreds — sometimes thousands — of harmless skin lesions might look unusual to the untrained eye," says Gyorgy Paragh, MD, PhD, Chair of the Department of Dermatology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.  
Dr. Stenzel notes that dogs persistently sniffed, licked and nipped at melanoma lesions on their owners’ skin, even through clothing, prompting the owners to identify the cancerous sites and seek care from clinicians.
An estimated 25% of adults between the ages of 18 and 50 worldwide have at least one tattoo, adding up to millions of people with permanent skin art.
Even people who regularly check their skin as recommended often do not think of including their scalp.  It is important to have someone else check the scalp thoroughly on a regular basis.
Whether your summer plans include biking, fishing, swimming or just working in the garden, you’ll need to protect yourself from the sun’s ultraviolet rays — UVA (long wave) and UVB (short wave).

During the summer and warm weather season, it’s important to remember that exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun can increase your risk of developing skin cancer.