Newswise — Steve and Gail Fine were delighted. Their 24-year-old son Dan had come home to Connecticut for a surprise visit that Memorial Day weekend in 1996, and they were enjoying the chance to catch up on his career and life in California. Then Gail noticed an unusual mole on her son's back. In a matter of days, Dan had the mole removed, and then found out it was actually a late-stage malignant melanoma.
Despite the best medical care possible, Dan died, at age 28, in October 1998. Steve and Gail decided to use their grief to try to save the lives of other young adults at risk of developing melanoma, and founded the Melanoma Education Foundation. Their Web site, aimed mostly at young adults, spreads their message on prevention and early treatment. It's a message that many people don't hear until it is too late.
After all, it's just a mole, you tell yourself. Like most people, you may have between 50 and 100 of the things, and it isn't that different from the others. It's just that you haven't noticed it before, and it is a little odd looking. But it couldn't be melanoma, or skin cancer. After all, you're too young to get cancer. Right?
Unfortunately, the fact is that melanoma is becoming more common. Melanoma is more common than any non-skin cancer among women between 25 and 29 years old. Dr. Dan Berg, a professor of dermatology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, says you don't have to be very old at all to be in danger of developing melanoma.
"While melanoma is uncommon in childhood, we believe sun exposure you get as a child or teenager plays a role in causing skin cancer later," Berg says.
He adds that there is harm in getting an annual suntan, even if you avoid getting sunburn.
"We know that ultraviolet light causes both burning and tanning, and is the main risk factor for skin cancer," Berg says. "Trying to get a tan while avoiding burning is like smoking a cigarette while holding a hankie over your mouth: you might be protecting yourself a little bit, but you're still exposing yourself to something harmful."
Berg adds that tanning beds, despite the claims of some promoters, have the same risk of causing melanoma as the sun.
Taking charge of your skin means that you take some responsibility for making sure you practice "safe sun." Berg says while sunscreen helps, it doesn't protect the skin from all the sun's rays. People also fail to apply it as thoroughly as they should.
"Still, we don't recommend just staying home, not being a lifeguard or not playing tennis or golf," Berg says. "Don't deliberately try to get a tan. Protect yourself with shade, by wearing a broad-brimmed hat or using an umbrella at the beach. Play your tennis game at 5 in the afternoon, instead of at noon. Wear clothing, rather than taking off your shirt when you get too hot."
How do you know that suspect mole needs an inspection by a doctor? Berg says it's as simple as ABCD:
* Asymmetry: the mole is an uneven shape, with opposite sides that do not match.* Irregular Borders: the edges are ragged, notched or blurred.*o Color: the pigmentation is not uniform. Shades of tan, brown and black may be mixed with red, white or blue, giving a mottled appearance.* Diameter: greater than the size of a pencil eraser. Any growth of a mole should be a concern.
"If you see these qualities," Berg says, "You need to follow up with your physician."
Find more information on skin cancer prevention and detection at the Melanoma Education Foundation web site, at http://www.skincheck.org
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