First Day of Summer Has Come: Enjoy the Summer Sunshine Without Putting Yourself at Risk
MILLBURN, N.J., June 24 /PRNewswire/ -- This week marks the official start of summer. People everywhere will be shedding their spring raincoats and spending time outdoors in the sun's rays. But, before basking in all the sunshine, it's important to practice skin sun safety. MoleSafe, (www.molesafe.com), a company that offers an advanced skin cancer early detection program, is encouraging the public to shield their skin from the summer sun and also remind those at risk to get their skin checked for suspicious moles and lesions.
Cancer survivor Elizabeth Moore describes her experience with melanoma (the deadliest skin cancer) and how the disease has changed her life. She stresses the importance of early detection and explains how it can save lives.
The risk of developing melanoma doubles if you have had 5 or more sunburns
Your chance of getting melanoma increases significantly if you've already had a previous melanoma, but also increases if you have had either basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma, the more common forms of skin cancer
Melanoma appears most frequently on the torso area in fair-skinned men and on the lower leg in fair-skinned women
It is estimated that 20 percent to 40 percent of melanomas arise from an atypical mole
Utilize services like MoleSafe that detect new, changing and/or suspicious lesions by monitoring and comparing the images over time
Even after the summer, continue to monitor any changes in moles year-round including change in the size, shape, color, or feel; a black or blue-black area
Statistics/Data Skin Cancer
More than one million new cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year
One in 55 people will be diagnosed with melanoma during their lifetime
Contrary to popular belief, 80 percent of a person's lifetime sun exposure is not acquired before age 18 -- the number is closer to 23 percent
Skin is the largest organ in the body; it helps regulate body temperature, prevents excess fluid loss, and aids the body in removing excess water and salt
Survival rate for patients with early detection is about 99 percent. The survival rate falls between 15 and 65 percent or higher, depending on how far the disease has spread
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"During the summer it is imperative for Americans to take full action to protect their skin from the sun. Additionally, early detection lowers the risk of melanoma, so the best thing you can do is get your skin checked for suspicious moles and lesions," said Dr. Richard Bezozo, president of MoleSafe. "With the expansion of MoleSafe locations in the U.S., our company's advanced detection program will be readily available to more communities, ultimately saving lives from this deadly disease."
About MoleSafe
MoleSafe (www.molesafe.com) is a state-of-the-art procedure involving the digital imaging, archiving and diagnosis of moles and other suspicious lesions. The procedure utilizes a combination of high resolution dermoscopy imaging technology that uses high intensity light to penetrate through the surface of the skin to show the structure of moles (and other lesions) and a dermatologist's expert evaluation of the images. In addition to the increased diagnostic accuracy associated with dermoscopy, MoleSafe is able to detect at an earlier stage any new, changing and/or suspicious lesions by monitoring and comparing the images over time. While MoleSafe has the ability to identify all skin cancers, its primary focus is on the early detection of melanoma.
