Are you feeling the burn? Yeah, that’s called skin cancer
According to the National Cancer Institute in 2010, there was about 68,000 new cases of Melanoma in the US, of which about 8,700 people died from the disease. Melanoma is a dangerous skin cancer and is most often caused by excessive sunburn and tanning in a tanning bed with UV lights. Melanoma is deadly and is easy to get if you don’t take precautions. Many are not aware of the dangers of Melanoma and what causes it. Well it is deadly and is arguably the most serious type of skin cancer. First, What is melanoma and why is melanoma deadly? What do you need to do to avoid it. Secondly, the signs of melanoma can be small and sometimes unnoticeable. Finally, there is many ways to prevent melanoma while still enjoying your favorite outdoor activities. Many die each year and without sunscreen or other protection it can be deadly and you do not want to be next.
First, you may think only 13% of people dying because of skin cancer per year isn’t that much, but for melanoma that is crazy, because all of it can be easily prevented. Melanoma is the most serious and deadly types of skin cancer, and skin cancer is one of the most common type of cancer throughout the United States. It shows no signs of slowing down or stopping anytime soon. In fact, there is supposed to be approximately 178,000 US cases of melanoma in the year of 2018. It is so shocking that around we are having some of our population at risk of dying because of a skin cancer caused by the sun and UV rays. I personally struggle with the fact that my Grandma needs to be covered almost everywhere when we go on boat rides and other outdoor activities at my cabin because she was diagnosed with pre-melanoma, which says she is at risk of getting it. Regardless it is a very sad topic and I wish I could help my grandma out but I know she is taking action to prevent it. According to the Melanoma Research Foundation every hour of every day a American dies of melanoma, that almost 10,000 fatalities each year and growing annually. Melanoma also may not just appear on the skin itself but may appear in other places in the body. This is especially important because you may not notice it in these location and it can escalate quickly.
Secondly, spots of Melanoma can appear anywhere and that’s why you need to take caution and watch for any spots of the cancer. They most often appear and develop in spots that are often exposed in the sunlight and UV rays. It also is possible to appear in places where your body doesn’t obtain lots of sunlight, such as a bed of a finger nail and bottom of your foot. This often appears in people who have darker or more tanned skin. A big sign of melanoma is when a mole you have changes and looks almost like one big mole smushed around and looks rather unpleasant. It is also able to appear looking like nothing and like your normal skin, which makes it even more dangerous. Normal moles on a person body can very in quantity, size, and small variations in shape. Usually there is around 10 and 45 moles on a person’s body by the age of 50. Moles are usually round or oval shaped and around the size of a pencil eraser or less. If you see one that may be growing as a splotch or isn’t rounded than you should definitely go get checked by a doctor. According to Mayo Clinic important things to look for is, irregular shapes, irregular borders, changes in color, the diameter, and any mole that appears to be evolving. There is also kinds of melanoma that appears to be hidden in the body or not visible. Melanoma can hide under a nail, in a person’s eyes, mouth, throat, anus, urinary tract, or vagina. These are especially hard to track as they can be mistaken for more common conditions.
Finally, you may be at risk, but when should you see a doctor and get cured is always important. You should immediately set up an appointment with your doctor if you happen to see any change in your skin that appears unusually. Melanoma is caused by DNA damage and new cells can grow off of them but what causes that damage to the DNA is unclear and is often blames on radiation from the sun and UV lights in tanning beds. Major risk factors to your body includes a history of sunburn, lots of UV light that your body is exposed to, living near the equator, having many mole and especially the unusual ones, a history in the family having Melanoma, and a weak immune system. You can prevent in by avoiding the sun at its peak hours or wearing strong enough sunscreen to protect your skin. If you plan on going out when the sun is strong you could also wear protective clothing that doesn’t let the sun through. Some shirts even say that it protects you against the sun’s radiation and UV rays. Get to know your skin so you can tell if any changes occur. It takes only one bad sunburn to ruin your vacation and possibly even your life. You can also seek shade when the sun is out and strong or wear at least a sunscreen with an SPF of 30. All of these ideas are very helpful in reducing your chance of developing skin cancer and can save your life or struggles later on in your life.