Usually, when we announce a celebrity is raising awareness for cancer, it is the result of a news release that the celebrity has joined a cancer foundation in an effort to lend a higher visibility to the campaign.

In the case of actress Julia Roberts, it appears simply having your photo taken is enough to raise awareness about cancer. At a Hollywood tribute to George Clooney, photographers noticed a mole on her right breast which led to a cancer expert urging Roberts to get it checked out. A dermatologist is suggesting that it looks like a scar resulting from the removal of a mole, according to the movie and entertainment reporting of the incident.

Do you think celebrities ever get fish-bowl claustrophobia from such intense scrutiny and unsolicited advice into their private life? Roberts strikes me as an intelligent woman, and I would wager she is aware of her mysterious mole and has sought medical attention for it.

However unintended as a service to public health information, this latest celebrity gossip about Roberts' right breast does create conversation into what might qualify as a suspicious-looking mole likely to warrant medical attention.

The warning signs of a mole that can cause cancer concern are:



Asymmetry -- One side of the mole does not match the other side of the mole and appears uneven.

Border -- The edge of the mole has a ragged or irregular border.

Color -- The color of the mole is uneven and varies in shade.

Diameter -- A mole bigger than a pencil eraser.

There are three main types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma. Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are the most common and malignant melanoma can be the most deadly if not caught in its earliest stage. This year in the US, more than one million people will be diagnosed with non-melanoma skin cancer, and 62,190 will be diagnosed with melanoma, according to the American Cancer Society. For more information on skin cancer related posts, visit Melanoma and Skin Cancer.

Five years ago, Mimi Barker, a young woman in her 20s, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her younger sister Lela, intent on understanding how her young sister could develop breast cancer, began researching possible breast cancer causes. What she found prompted her into reading ingredient labels of all the beauty and bath care products in her bathroom, and she was stunned to find most had the paraben ingredient researchers were suggesting increased breast cancer risks for women.

Lela advised Mimi to get rid of everything that contained paraben, and she did the same. Faced with the reality that the market did not offer many appealing natural and organic personal beauty care products, Lela began making her own in her kitchen. She shared what she made with her sister and her friends. Lela found she enjoyed creating soaps, bath salts and lotions that rivaled the commercial products in aroma and texture.

Tate Donovan will be the new Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network, BCAN, national spokesperson and will serve as a member on the BCAN Board of Directors. In 2001, Donovan's father, Dr. Timothy Donovan, urologist, died of bladder cancer. In 2005, his mother was diagnosed with early-stage bladder cancer.

"For too long bladder cancer has been like an 'orphan' among cancers, and as anyone in my family knows full well, it can be a devastating disease," said Donovan. "In the memory of my father, I'm hopeful I can help BCAN let people know that bladder cancer is real, and that it's time to start talking about it." Bladder cancer is the fifth most common form of cancer. More than 63,000 new patients are diagnosed with bladder cancer each year. Bladder cancer causes 13,000 deaths annually. As spokesperson for BCAN, Donovan will appear in educational materials, as well as tell his family's story to the public, to help raise awareness about bladder cancer.

Currently, Donovan is best known for playing Jimmy Cooper on the hit television drama "The O.C." Donovan has appeared in more than 20 movies including "Good Night, and Good Luck" and several theater productions on and off Broadway. In addition, Donovan plays fiddle with The McGuffins, a traditional Irish band.