Many individuals go through life without ever making an appointment with a dermatologist. However, if skin cancer runs in your family, if you enjoy excessive tanning or exposure to UV rays, or if you have a lot of moles or birthmarks that have changed in color, shape, and size; you should consider conducting your own at-home skin exams, as well as talking to your doctor about getting periodic screenings from your doctor, or dermatologist. If you find a mole or marking that has changed in size, shape, color, and texture; or if the mole is bleeding, oozing, or crusting; you should consult a doctor right away. Conducting a self-skin exam A routine skin exam is a head-to-toe inspection of your skin, paying particular attention to any skin markings, moles, freckles, or birthmarks that have changed. You can conduct your own skin exam at home. Many folks find it most convenient to conduct when they’re having a shower. If you prefer, you can also get a good look from all angles while standing in front of a full-length mirror and using a hand-held mirror for those tucked away areas. During a self-exam be sure to check your body thoroughly from head-to-toe, particularly the following:

Finding a quiet place to peacefully laze in the hot sun feels like one of the most therapeutic experiences when it comes to cost-free relaxation. Unfortunately, prolonged periods of time spent in the sun without proper skin protection could, at worst, end up costing you your life to skin cancer. Melanoma is one of the darker sides of sunbathing and is becoming an increasingly common diagnosis in America. By recognizing the symptoms of melanoma early on, it can be treated with minor surgery. With UV radiation being a proven human carcinogen, there are a few precautions you can put into place – to be able to enjoy the positive health benefits of the sun’s rays, without becoming one of the many unfortunate victims of skin cancer. Melanoma is a type of cancer that can develop anywhere on the skin. It most commonly occurs after exposure to UV Radiation from the sun. Depending on your skin type, you may have a greater risk of melanoma ; especially if you have fair skin, red hair, or blue eyes. While melanoma first develops on the skin’s surface, if left untreated, cancer can easily spread to the lymph nodes and even your organs. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer over the course of their lifetime, with nearly 10,000 deaths predicted for the year 2017 alone in America.

Early detection gives you the best chance to tackle melanoma in the early development phase. If you leave it too long, cancer can spread through the body, including through the bloodstream and lymph nodes. Your internal organs are also at great risk, as cancer spreads throughout your body. Treatment of melanoma has developed rapidly in recent years; but further research and experimentation is needed to effectively treat the disease, especially in the latter stages of skin cancer. Some of the current advanced technologies for treatment include: Removal: The cancerous tissue will be removed surgically. The doctor will remove the cancerous tissues as well as some of the bordering tissue. Immunotherapy: This is a type of treatment used to help the body’s own natural immunity increase in order to fight off the melanoma. In the development of this treatment, scientists recognized that the body is able to suppress the growth of cancer cells if the immune system is strong enough to destroy them. This forms the backbone of immunotherapy and holds great promise in future treatment. Lymphatic mapping:  When melanoma has spread to the lymph nodes, a doctor will inject a blue dye into the area where lymph nodes are located to detect the cancer cells.

Melanoma, or skin cancer , is the most common type of cancer. Skin cancers come in three types—melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma—with melanoma making up only approximately 1-percent of skin cancers, but causing the most skin cancer-related deaths. Even though melanoma rates might seem low, the American Cancer Association (ACA) notes that melanoma diagnoses are on the rise, especially during the past 30-years. ACA statistics show that over 87,000 new cases of melanoma are reported annually with a slightly higher instance of new male patients compared to female patients. Akin to many other forms of cancer, melanoma is typically caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, including the following: A Family History of Melanoma Research explains that individuals are at greater risk of developing melanoma if heredity plays a part. More specifically, a mutation of the CDKN2A gene, which can then be passed down from parents to children, and so on. Familial malignant melanoma usually occurs in cases where 2 or more close relatives already have melanoma. An inherited gene mutation in the CDKN2A gene is present in roughly 5- to 25-percent of families and results in heightened familial risk for melanoma. Frequent Tanning and Sunburns Exposing your skin to excessive ultraviolet (or UV) light from tanning beds, sunlamps, and the sun’s rays is one of the prime risk factors for melanoma, according to the Mayo Clinic.

The most common symptoms associated with melanoma to look out for are new moles or freckles, or ones that have changed in appearance. As you know your skin best, yours are the most reliable pair of eyes when it comes to noticing any changes. It’s important to be mindful of all moles and freckles on your body and how they change and develop over time including: Color: You may notice a change in the color of moles or freckles. Black or two-tone moles are especially concerning. Raised moles or freckles: Where otherwise you would see these as being normally flat. Size: Freckles or moles that increase in size should be of concern. Those larger than a pencil eraser are most concerning. Bleeding or crusting: This could be a sign of an advanced skin cancer. A new mole or freckle: With prolonged sun damage it’s common for new moles or freckles to appear. You should keep a particularly close eye on these. Changes to the border of a mole or freckle: This includes crusting or irregular colors and textures that you would notice as abnormal. Itchy: This is not a normal sign of a healthy mole or freckle. Odd shape: If you once knew of a round mole that has changed to an oblong or square shape, then it’s worth getting it checked out.