Men & Skin Cancer

Men & Skin Cancer

Did you know that June is Men’s Health Month? Men’s Health Month (MHM) was signed into law on May 31, 1994, and the week leading up to Father’s Day is known as Men’s Health Week. The goal of MHM is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and also to encourage early detection and treatment of disease among boys and men. During the month of June, various screenings, health fairs and education, and outreach activities are available nationwide. Men are encouraged to make an appointment with their healthcare provider for their annual physical exam for a thorough check-up, as well as to receive age-appropriate screenings and immunizations. One screening that men tend to overlook, though, is an annual skin cancer exam. According to the CDC, men are more likely to get more sun exposure over their lifetime than women are, as they tend to spend more time outdoors, are […]

A Little Bit of Awareness Goes a Long Way: Tips to Help Save Your Skin

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and it’s always a good time to remember that skin cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the world, but it’s also one of the most preventable cancers and can be highly treatable when detected early. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer during the course of their lifetime, and around 90% of nonmelanoma skin cancers are associated with exposure to UV radiation from the sun. Also, a person’s risk for developing melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, doubles if he or she has experienced more than five sunburns. I can remember my own childhood was a long procession of sunburns, year after year, as the risks of overexposure to the sun weren’t widely known back in the 1970s, and hardly anyone I knew used sunscreens. I can only recall an […]

Why Do We Tend To Minimize Skin Cancer?

5.4 Million Skin Cancer Diagnoses Last Year In 2016, 5.4 million cases of skin cancer were diagnosed in the U.S.  That number far surpasses the number of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers combined.  It’s not even close.  So given these grave statistics, why aren’t more people rushing to their dermatologist to get a skin exam? 4 million Basal Cell Carcinoma Skin Cancers One of the most straightforward reasons people tend to downplay the significance of skin cancer is that most cases of skin cancer are not deadly. For example, of the 5.4 million cases of skin cancer in the U.S., more than 4 million of those are Basal Cell Carcinoma.   Less than 1% of these Basal Cell Carcinomas metastasize, or spread to other parts of the body. For this reason they are rarely lethal. 1 million Squamous Cell Carcinoma Skin Cancers By the same token, only 5% of the Squamous […]

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