The ABC's of Melanoma...

Did you enjoy sunning yourself as a teen? Were you like me and laid outside during the heat of the day for hours trying to achieve that golden tan? Do you remember getting sunburned and peeling? Are you fair skinned? I match the profile above to a letter, and if you do too, read on...

On Monday I took at trip to the Melanoma Clinic at my dermatologist's urging. I really didn't want to go. It was a long drive, through high traffic in Denver, I was afraid I would get lost, and I didn't want to talk about cancer. That topic makes me sad, and I didn't feel like revisiting it.

After seeing how fast cancer can take a life with my mom's year long battle, I didn't want to talk about my own risk factors, or even open the discussion with it. Fear won't make a situation go away though, and so I "bucked up" and went.

In 2005, I was diagnosed with melanoma, a fatal form of skin cancer if left untreated and unnoticed. Fortunately, since my dad had a melanoma area removed at that time, I knew what to look for. When an ordinary looking freckle, appeared black compared to my other brown freckles, I knew it was worth a trip to see the dermotologist. We caught it early, and that one little innocent freckle that turned out not to be so innocent, was removed along with a 4 inch section a half inch deep from the back of my calf. Luckily early detection meant it had not traveled, and they were able to cut it out and send me on my way.

Due to melanoma's aggressive nature though, I must see the dermotolgist every 4-5 months now for a full body check...and I mean a thorough body check, including all the places, "the sun don't shine" if you know what I mean! It's a small price to pay though if catching another spot could mean saving my life.

The oncologist told me the other day that 1 in 70 Americans will be diagnosed with melanoma in their lifetime. Now that I have had melanoma, and my body knows how to make a cancer cell, my odds are now 1 in 25 that it will return in another area. (Those odds didn't sound so good until he said that 1 in 10 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.) Either way, cancer is not worth taking chances with, and so I wanted to share a quick reminder of how to check yourself and any suspicious moles with a simple ABC acronym.

If you have any changing moles that match the symptoms below, take the time to have them checked out by a dermologist. Colorado has the highest incidence of melanoma in women, most likely due to the altitude, so Colorado readers, take extra caution and watch those freckles closely!

A: assymetrical... if a freckle is different on one half than the other, have it checked out.

B: borders...if the borders are irregular it's worth a visit...

C: color...just like my freckle that looked black, any color variance is cause to have it checked.

D: diameter...any freckle larger than the size of a pencil eraser is also a potential risk.

Take the time today to look at your skin...and it's never too late to wear sunscreen...melanoma is a preventable disease.

Enjoy your day, and check your skin...even where the sun don't shine! :-)