Skin Cancer is America's #1 Killer

What Are The Symptoms of Skin Cancer

There are many different kinds of skin cancer; melanoma is the worst. We recommend checking your entire body at least once per year. If you find any new spots with strange color or shape, have your dermatologist look at it. Here are some early warning signs of skin cancer:

• The colors of the moles vary from brown or black to blue or orange.
• The moles may have ragged edges and uneven colors.
• Sores, crusts, out-croppings, and reddening may be seen in the area surrounding the mole.
• The mole may look like a 'blood blister' under a nail.
• The mole may be itchy.

How can we protect ourselves from cancerous moles? Take care of your skin. The best option is using sunscreen. Every time you go out in the sun, you need sunscreen, it's not just for the beach anymore.

We are fortunate today to have the knowledge and access to information which can help assist us in protecting ourselves from skin cancer.

The America Skin Cancer Information Center published this piece about skin cancer -- it's worth the quick read.

One person dies every hour...

What is the leading cause of death? Is it heart disease? Car accidents? No, the main cause of death in America, is "skin cancer". Believe it or not, skin cancer effects more than a million people each year in America; one in 5 Americans will get skin cancer in the course of a lifetime, and it is estimated that - that number will increase over the next five years. In 2010, "Melanoma" hit an all time high with one in 50 Americans affected.

The incidence of melanoma, which is the most deadliest form of skin cancer, is rising faster than that of any other cancer. One person dies every hour from skin cancer, primarily melanoma. Nationally, there are more new cases of skin cancer each year than the combined incidence of cancers of the prostate, breast, lung, and colon.

Some positive news: "most of the things that pop up on our bodies as we age; moles, and skin tags are nothing to worry about", and they can be removed by a dermatologist - who will use a laser or scalpel to remove the mole - or you can choose the non-surgical method of mole removal with a natural mole removal cream.

CNN reports that "more than 90 percent of all skin cancers are caused by sun exposure, yet most people use no form of sun protection; less than 33 percent of adults, adolescents, and children routinely use sun protection." The majority of people diagnosed with the melanoma form of skin cancer are "White Men over age 50."

Middle-aged and older men have the poorest track record for performing monthly skin self exams or regularly visiting a dermatologist. They are also the least likely individual to detect a melanoma in its early stages. While this type of skin cancer is uncommon in African-Americans, Asians, and Latinos, it is most deadly for these populations.

Melanoma also kills more young women under the age of 40 than any other cancer. In the past thirty years, skin cancer has tripled in women in America. The incidence of melanoma is increasing so rapidly in women that it is now the most common cancer in young women aged 25-29, and second only to breast cancer in women aged 30-34.