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What
is Melanoma?
Melanoma
is a very dangerous form of skin cancer that can
be fatal if not detected early. It can be curable
if it is detected and treated in its early stages.
It can occur anywhere on the body, including under
the fingernails, toenails or on the palms or soles,
but is most often seen on their upper back on
men and on their lower legs for women.
Who
is most at risk?
People
with the following characteristics have the highest
risk for melanoma:
- Fair
complexions that burn or blister easily
- Blond
or red hair
- Excessive
sun exposure during childhood and teen years,
blistering and sunburns before age 18
- Family
history of melanoma
- More
than 100 moles or more than 50 if you are under
20 years of age.
Sun
protection tips to lower your risk:
- Wear
sunscreen with a minimum of 30 SPF, and something
with active ingredients such as zinc oxide..
- Avoid
being in the direct sun between 11am and 3pm
- Beware
of cloudy and foggy days, as the UV light can
still burn your skin through the cloud cover.
- UV
reflection from sand, water, pavement cement
and snow can redirect up to 85% of the sun's
damaging rays, so beware of these reflective
surfaces.
- Check
your local paper or radio station every day
for the UV index. The higher the number, the
greater the need for eye and skin protection.
- Wear
sunscreen under your clothing; a white T-shirt
only provides SPF protection of 5 to 8.
- Don't
forget to apply sunscreen to your nose, lips
and ears
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