As Skin Cancer Awareness Month winds down, I find myself hoping you have learned a thing or two about a disease that is far more common than we tend to believe, a diseases that in some cases is downright deadly. The month of May will soon drift away. Skin cancer will not -- unless of course we make huge, swift strides in prevention. Until this happens, though, the best we can do is be vigilant about early detection. I have an idea. Well, an idea I'm borrowing from The Archives of Dermatology.
The idea: photography. Studies show patients who use photographs of their own skin for reference are better able to detect skin changes while conducting self-examinations.
Got a camera handy? A buddy who can snap a few shots? If so, you may just save yourself from melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.
Atypical nevi -- pigmented moles that may change shape or have irregular borders -- are the strongest risk factor for melanoma. The presence of numerous atypical nevi can make self-exams difficult. And because total removal of all moles is impractical, close self-monitoring is critical.
Consider taking some baseline shots of every nook and cranny of your skin, especially the parts populated by moles, freckles, and other marks. Save the pictures. During your next self-exam, use the photos for comparison. You can even take new pictures of old moles and determine whether or not they've changed over time.
As with all early detection for all cancers, much of the work is up to the individual. So do your part. Please.
1. There is now an inexpensive software program that allows people to use their own digital cameras at home to take their own body images at different time intervals (maximizing privacy). The images can be scaled and aligned and compared using a personal computer to allow for the efficient recognition of new or growing moles. This software was developed from funding provided by the National Cancer Institute and can be obtained by going to the website www.dermalert.com
Posted at 4:26PM on May 23rd 2007 by drBC