How to protect yourself during Skin Cancer Awareness Month
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month and Monday is “Melanoma Monday,” both aiming to remind the community to check their skin for abnormalities.
When JoAnne Blakely first noticed a new spot on her skin, she went to the doctor to get it checked out, not thinking it would turn into something serious.
“I got a phone call and doctor says well it’s melanoma, it’s malignant,” Blakely explained. “We need to take care of this and my response was I opened up calendar and go how’s June 16 for a date like two months ahead and he goes how’s Tuesday, then it hits you that he wants to get you in before you want to get in.”
Blakely said the doctors were able to treat her quickly so she didn’t have to get radiation.
“That was the beginning of this journey of probably about 30 surgeries,” Blakely said. “They’ve not been for melanoma but every other thing basal cell, squamous cell and so I’m an advocate for checking yourself out and get after it.”
She said doctors attributed the cause to sun exposure and watched her closely after her first diagnosis.
“Back in the days when we tanned, we put baby oil, iodine, you had to be brown,” Blakely added. “It’s little things that got me like I had 5 surgeries on this side of my face, I’m sure in my heart it’s from driving because the sun comes in through the window.”
It’s why now, Blakely is so proactive in raising awareness.
“It was just a dot in my mind, skin cancer? It doesn’t happen when you’re young, you just don’t think about it when you’re young,” Blakely said.
The Nevada Cancer Coalition advises you to keep an eye out on your skin, look for any changes to moles or lesions and take extra steps to protect yourself when outside. In addition to wearing sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or more, wearing a hat and sunglasses can help prevent the risk of skin cancer.
“I was fortunate and I don’t want anybody else to have to go or wait that long,” Blakely added.
So what do you look for when checking for melanomas during a self-exam? Dermatologists recommend the ABCDEs of melanoma. This includes A for asymmetry, B for border, C for color and D for diameter.
To learn more about the ABCDEs of melanoma, click here.
For more on the Cancer Coalition, click here.
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