Although the sun can provide benefits to the body, such as vitamin D, it is always important to apply sunscreen to protect your skin. The Skin Cancer Foundation reports that by the age of 70, one in five Americans will develop skin cancer. This is the most common cancer in the United States and around the world.
Fortunately, skin cancer cases (such as basal and squamous cell carcinoma) do not spread to other parts of the body and can usually be removed by minimally invasive surgical methods. However, melanoma can spread to other parts of the body, and it is necessary to capture it as early as possible to prevent the disease from spreading. This is what you should know, check your body for skin cancer.
How often should you check for skin cancer?
The U.S. Preventive Task Force has developed recommendations for preventive health care or cancer screening, and he said there is no “sufficient” evidence to recommend or recommend visual screening for adolescents and adults without any symptoms of skin cancer from primary care physicians. But, as the American College of Dermatology points out, this is not a statement of the value of a dermatologist for the skin examination—one who has a history of skin cancer or notices spots on the skin should see a dermatologist for a professional examination. Everyone is encouraged to follow the steps below to check their skin regularly.
On the timing, the end of summer can be a good time to have a skin check-waiting your summer tan to start fading, which may make it easier to spot potentially problematic blemishes.
If you are questioning moles or freckles, you should also take a skin check.
The warning sign will be a flaw that has recently changed the appearance. Remember, these “ABCDE” signs suggest that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it may be melanoma because it may be melanoma because it may be melanoma:
- oneSymmetry (part of the defect looks different from the other).
- bOrder (it has a jagged or irregular outline).
- cOlor (uneven color).
- diameter (larger than peas).
- eVolts (changes in size, shape, or color over time).
In addition to melanoma, the American Academy of Dermatology says this is considered the most serious type of skin cancer because of its ability to spread, and other rare types of skin cancer can also spread. These include sebaceous adenocarcinoma and Merkel cell carcinoma.
Is there a skin cancer vaccine?
According to information released last summer, there is a skin cancer vaccine in the work so far that it has reduced the risk of melanoma returning to this day compared to traditional treatments alone. Compared with immunotherapy alone, the mRNA vaccines from modern and Merck have been proven to be effective 44%, reducing the risk of death and melanoma relief to reduce traditional immunotherapy (Pembrolizumab) in melanoma (Pembrolizumab).
The positive results of the Phase 2B trial were released in the spring of 2023, and late-stage clinical trials of the vaccine began last year. While this means we may also be years away from any potential approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the discovery of mRNA skin cancer vaccines can not only treat skin cancer, but also lead to other types of treatments.
“While there are many different clinical trials of cancer vaccines, there has never been a real single cancer vaccine that clearly shows reproducible clinical benefits,” Weber told CNET in 2023.
Skin cancer may be less common in people with darker skin tones, but it is more risky
Black, Hispanic, or Asian ancestry is much less likely to have skin cancer (including melanoma) than whites. This is because darker skin tones have more melanin, which helps protect the skin from damaged UV rays, which is the most common cause of skin cancer.
But this does not mean that darker skin means no risk. In fact, people with darker skin tones have a higher proportion of melanoma in different parts of the body, where we don’t necessarily teach to pay attention to signs of skin cancer, such as palms, soles of the feet, nails, and even rectal and vaginal areas. Weber said these types of cancer have “different molecular mechanisms” so they are not related to sunlight or UV exposure.
These uncommon melanoma types may also be more likely to slip past doctors, while those with lighter skin are diagnosed in darker patients. According to the Washington Post, a study published this summer found that blacks had a higher risk of dying from melanoma (a 26% increase) than whites.
This is based on a 2019 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which found that black Americans still lag behind white Americans in melanoma survival despite the small overall cases. In the same report, the CDC requested more awareness, as well as patients with intraperitoneal melanoma (foot and palm cancer).
How to reduce the risk of skin cancer
To minimize the risk of melanoma and other types of skin cancer, you should protect yourself from ultraviolet rays. For this, look at sunscreen, or consider wearing a hat and other breathable clothing.
And you may already know this by now, but it repeats: Don’t use indoor tanning beds.
Monitor the skin at home. If you spend a lot of time in the sun, have a suspicious blemish, or otherwise think that the examination is a good idea, you should have a date with a dermatologist.
