Skin Cancer Awareness Month is in full swing, and with that we’ve made it our mission to educate you on melanoma. Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer for males, and the seventh most common cancer for females. Informing ourselves and others on what exactly melanoma is and how it affects the body is our number one defense against this debilitating disease.
We’ve put together a list of facts on melanoma. Check them out below:
1 in 50 Americans will develop melanoma in their lifetime. It is the fastest growing cancer in the U.S. and worldwide.
It is projected that nearly 80,000 Americans will be diagnosed with melanoma in 2013. That means one person every 8 minutes.
The average age for melanoma diagnosis is 50, compared to other cancers, which is closer to 65-70 years old.
Melanoma is a skin cancer that can spread earlier and more quickly than other skin cancers.
Melanoma is the second most common of all cancers in men and women ages 15-29.
If caught in the earliest stages, melanoma is entirely treatable, but because it spreads quickly, early detection and immediate treatment is critical.
Melanoma in individuals 10 – 39 years old is highly curable, with 5 year survival rates that exceed 90%.
Tanning beds are no healthier than sitting in the sun. Actually, the UVA radiation used in tanning beds is three times the amount of harmful radiation emitted by the sun, therefore more dangerous.
Around 75% of skin cancer deaths are from melanoma.
UVA rays from tanning beds penetrate deep into the skin; they destroy skin fibers and damage elasticity, causing premature aging, wrinkles, and leathery skin.
The best ways to lower the risk of non-melanoma skin cancers are to avoid intense sunlight for long periods of time and to practice sun safety (i.e.: look for sunscreen that provides both UVA and UVB protection).
Melanoma often starts out as a mole and can be removed if caught early. But because moles are often mistaken for beauty marks, they go unnoticed. Have a dermatologist look at anything abnormal on your skin.
Risk factors for melanoma include fair complexion, family history, severe sunburns as a child, and using a tanning bed ten times a year or more before age 30.
One American dies of melanoma almost every hour.
Melanoma is the most common form of cancer for young adults.
How many of these facts did you know? Take the time to learn as much as you can about melanoma. Skin cancer is serious, and the best way to prevent it is to catch it in its earliest stages. The survival rates for cancer that is caught early are remarkably high, and should you be diagnosed with melanoma or any other cancer for that matter the one thing you have on your side is knowledge. Melanoma doesn’t have to be deadly.