Enjoyed the Sun This Summer? It Might Be Time for a Quick Skin Cancer Check

As fall fast approaches and the daylight hours get shorter, you reflect back on a  summer filled with outdoor fun in the sun. While the time outdoors certainly benefits your health on almost every level, there are some pitfalls, and skin cancer is the biggest one.

The reality is that 1 in 5 people is diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 70, making it the most commonly diagnosed cancer by far in the United States and around the world.

The good news in these numbers is that most skin cancers are highly treatable, and the sooner we treat the cancer, the better. This is why skin checks are so important.

At LaSante Health Center, our extensive team of medical providers includes dermatology specialists who help our patients to stay one step ahead of skin cancer through regular skin checks. Here, we look at the benefits of skin checks and who should get them.

A quick review of skin cancer

When we refer to skin cancer, it’s actually a category of several different types of cancer, including:

• Basal cell carcinoma (BCC)
• Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC)
• Melanoma

Each year in the United States, medical providers diagnose about 5.4 million basal and squamous cell carcinomas, with basal cell carcinoma accounting for about 80% of the total.

Mortality rates of basal and squamous cell carcinomas are very low because they are easily treated and not all that aggressive. But this low mortality rate depends on identifying and treating the cancers, which is why skin checks make good sense.

The bigger concern with skin cancer is melanoma, which only accounts for 1% of skin cancers, but it has a much higher mortality rate than BCC or SCC. Despite that, early intervention is very effective, which again supports regular skin checks.

Why get a skin check?

Did you know that your skin is the largest organ in your body and covers an average of 22 square feet? Given the skin’s size, it’s important to have a dermatology specialist perform a skin check, as they know what to look for and where to look.

This is especially true for anyone at risk for skin cancer, and most of us are if you consider that exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays is the primary cause of all skin cancers.

So getting a skin check every 2-3 years is a good preventive practice for your health. 

We would recommend more frequent screenings if you’re at a higher risk for skin cancer. Some of these risk factors include:

• Fairer skin coloring
• Frequent sun exposure, especially without protection
• A history of sunburns (even in your youth)
• A personal history of skin cancer
• A family history of skin cancer
• Having freckles or moles
• Being immunocompromised

If you can check any of these boxes, we do recommend seeing us once a year for a preventive skin check, and the end of the summer is a good time to do this (though any time of year works).

Outside of routine skin checks, we also want you to come see us if you have anything on your skin that looks abnormal. 

For example, if you have a mole that changes in shape, size, and/or color, please come in so we can check it out. You can also add patches of rough skin or sores that don’t seem to heal. If you have anything like this, see us sooner rather than later.

These routine skin checks, as well as seeing us for any abnormalities on your skin, are the two best ways to stay one step ahead of cancer. If we find that there are cancerous cells, we work quickly to remove them and get your skin back into good health again.

If you'd like to schedule a skin check for cancer or if you have more questions, call our Brooklyn, New York, clinic or use our online booking tool to set up an appointment. You can also visit our clinic during our hours of operation. 

Our team proudly serves the Flatbush and East Flatbush, Crown Heights, Park Slope, Little Haiti, Little Caribbean, and Prospect Lefferts Gardens communities.