Today is Melanoma Monday... Everyone is urged to start examining yourself for signs of this dangerous form of skin-cancer. It affects one in five americans and all people are at risk. ******** Sunburns early in life can be the trigger for skin cancer later on. 31 year old Heather Turner knows that. In February she discovered a second suspicious spot.. She says, "I would wash my face morning and night. It was a red spot it wouldn't go away." The painless bump on her face was actually basal cell carcinoma... One of two common non-melanoma skin cancers that Dr. Sarah Sawyer diagnoses several times a day. Dr. Sawyer says, "It behaves like a sore that won't heal or an itchy spot. a lot of times it will bleed or it won't." This is squamous cell carcinoma, another common non melanoma skin cancer. And here's another photo of basal cell carcinoma. Dr. Sawyer marked Heather Turner's skin cancer before surgery using local anesthesia. She says, "I cut about one or two millimeters around what's clinically obvious". The Cryostat freezes the tissue very quickly so that we're able to slice it into microscopic sections and look at it under the microscope within a few minutes. Linda Mays says, "This is the Cryostat machine. It's minus 28/29 celcius. This is what Dr. Sawyer uses to confirm that the cancer is all gone." This after surgery photo shows the sutures at the small wound site. Now you hardly notice the site even without make up. Like Heather, people are urged to look over their body for any unusual changes in their skin.. Sawyer says, "In the ear behind the ear everywhere there's skin." These are signs of the deadliest form of skin cancer called Melanoma. Dermatologists look for changes in the shape, size, border, texture or color of a mole on the skin. The key to successful treatment is early detection.. But as Heather has learned protection from the sun's damaging ultra violet rays should come first. Turner says, "I wear sunscreen everyday. I have it in my make up.. have it in my moisturizer put it on my hands." ******* Dr. Sawyer says.. men most-commonly develop skin-cancer on their backs. Women's most-common areas are on the backs of their legs and chest.
Free skin-cancer screenings will be offered on May 29th at 12:00 - 7:00 p.m. at Dermatology & Laser of Alabama .
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