Skin Cancer Prevention - No Time For Malignant Melanoma
Three weeks ago I blogged about early diagnosis of malignant melanoma and what you can do to protect yourself. I received some feedback from patients that my recommendations were confusing and I confess that my writing tried to tie 2 different subjects into one. Because it is so important I will try to do better today.
Let's go over the facts. Malignant melanoma is the 8th most common cancer in the U.S. and causes 1-2% of all cancer deaths. It has increased in incidence more than any other cancer in the U.S. In the U.S. alone in 1999 there were up to 90,000 cases of melanoma and 7300 deaths. It is most often found on the trunk in men and on the lower limbs of women. By far the most alarming sign is that of a changing mole. A mole can change colors (blue, black, red, white), size, or shape and this gives the best chance of catching the disease early and obtaining a cure. In order to provide the greatest accuracy the entire mole must be removed for biopsy and not just a part of it. Therefore, if you see a changing mole on your body or if you have many moles on your body - see a dermatologist for advice and when necessary a biopsy.
That is point number one. See a dermatologist for changing moles and if you are unsure get a total body skin exam. At MetropolitanMD we have a dermatologist, a facial plastic surgeon, and a plastic surgeon to provide efficient and accurate diagnosis and surgical treatment.
My second point is more difficult to deal with. The average person develops 40 moles up to the age of 40 or so and then moles tend to regress over a lifetime. Therefore moles are always changing. So an industry has grown up around the fear of melanoma, and that is the industry of taking off normal moles. If you remove every mole on your body your risk of melanoma will decrease by less than 50%. That is because more than half of melanomas do not arise in moles! What a dilemma. Doctors are afraid of getting sued and patients are afraid of dying and this results in a lot of needless surgery and a lot of disfiguring scars. The solution - know your doctor. If your doctor keeps taking off moles and the reports are benign, you probably need another physician with more diagnostic acumen. If you are in doubt get several opinions before proceeding. If you are frustrated and want to get it over with and don't want many unsightly scars see a dermatologist with experience in minimizing scars after surgery. Remember, you bear half the responsibility. The location on the trunk or limbs is not conducive to nice scars and you need to do your homework.
Lastly, after you have been given a clean bill of health, there are numerous treatments to minimize scars including botox, lasers, dermabrasion, and silicone that can improve outcome if performed within the first 6-9 months of surgery.
Conclusion: When in doubt see your dermatologist and do your homework so you don't have needless surgery.
Edward Lack, http://www.metropolitanmds.com/
Let's go over the facts. Malignant melanoma is the 8th most common cancer in the U.S. and causes 1-2% of all cancer deaths. It has increased in incidence more than any other cancer in the U.S. In the U.S. alone in 1999 there were up to 90,000 cases of melanoma and 7300 deaths. It is most often found on the trunk in men and on the lower limbs of women. By far the most alarming sign is that of a changing mole. A mole can change colors (blue, black, red, white), size, or shape and this gives the best chance of catching the disease early and obtaining a cure. In order to provide the greatest accuracy the entire mole must be removed for biopsy and not just a part of it. Therefore, if you see a changing mole on your body or if you have many moles on your body - see a dermatologist for advice and when necessary a biopsy.
That is point number one. See a dermatologist for changing moles and if you are unsure get a total body skin exam. At MetropolitanMD we have a dermatologist, a facial plastic surgeon, and a plastic surgeon to provide efficient and accurate diagnosis and surgical treatment.
My second point is more difficult to deal with. The average person develops 40 moles up to the age of 40 or so and then moles tend to regress over a lifetime. Therefore moles are always changing. So an industry has grown up around the fear of melanoma, and that is the industry of taking off normal moles. If you remove every mole on your body your risk of melanoma will decrease by less than 50%. That is because more than half of melanomas do not arise in moles! What a dilemma. Doctors are afraid of getting sued and patients are afraid of dying and this results in a lot of needless surgery and a lot of disfiguring scars. The solution - know your doctor. If your doctor keeps taking off moles and the reports are benign, you probably need another physician with more diagnostic acumen. If you are in doubt get several opinions before proceeding. If you are frustrated and want to get it over with and don't want many unsightly scars see a dermatologist with experience in minimizing scars after surgery. Remember, you bear half the responsibility. The location on the trunk or limbs is not conducive to nice scars and you need to do your homework.
Lastly, after you have been given a clean bill of health, there are numerous treatments to minimize scars including botox, lasers, dermabrasion, and silicone that can improve outcome if performed within the first 6-9 months of surgery.
Conclusion: When in doubt see your dermatologist and do your homework so you don't have needless surgery.
Edward Lack, http://www.metropolitanmds.com/
Labels: dermatology, skin cancer
posted by Edward Lack MD at 11:32 AM
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