Mount Sinai Health System Experts Offer Vital Tips to Detect Early Skin Cancer Prevention and Free Skin Cancer Screenings

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, with one in five Americans developing it over the course of their lives. It’s also one of the most preventable types of cancers. In recognition of May’s Melanoma Monday and Skin Cancer Awareness Month, Mount Sinai Health System experts are using state of the art devices to detect early skin cancers, arming the public with vital tips on prevention and offering free skin cancer screenings.

Experts Available for Interview

• Andrew Alexis, MD, Chairman, Department of Dermatology, Mount Sinai St. Luke's and Mount Sinai West
• Hooman Khorasani, MD, Chief, Division of Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgery and Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the          Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• Julide Celebi, MD, Professor of Dermatology, Pathology and Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• Noelani Gonzalez, MD, Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

*Skin cancer patients are available for interview.

Facts     

• Melanoma is a fast growing and potentially a deadly form of cancer.
• Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of cancer with more than 4 million cases each year in the US.
• Exposure to tanning beds can increase the risk of melanoma and other skin cancers such as basal cell carcinoma.  

Tips for Skin Cancer Prevention 

• Get an annual checkup: Annual dermatology visits to monitor changes in your skin and your child’s are just as important as annual physicals and regular trips to the dentist. 
• Wear sunblock every day: Sunblock is not just for the summer.  You should apply an SPF of 50 or more to all sun light exposed skin thoroughly—your face and body—every day, year-round.  Reapply approximately every two hours, even on cloudy days.
• Never plan to sunbathe: You might not immediately realize the damage you’re doing by intentionally soaking up the sun, because it takes 10-20 years for skin damage to catch up with you, but sun dissolves the collagen and elastin in your skin that keep it healthy.
• Avoid tanning beds: Ultraviolet light from the sun and tanning beds can cause skin cancer and wrinkling.
• Wear protective clothing: Long-sleeved shirts, pants, and a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses whenever possible.
• Watch your brown spots and freckles: Do self-skin checks every three months. If you have a lot of moles, talk to your dermatologist about total body photography so your doctor can keep a photographic record of your moles and watch closely for any change. 
• Follow the ABCDEs: Tell your dermatologist if your moles have:  
• Asymmetry where one half of the mole is different from the other half;
• Borders that are irregular, scalloped or poorly defined;
• Color that varies from one area to another, with shades of tan and brown, black, and sometimes white, red, or blue; 
• Diameter that are the size of a pencil eraser (6mm) or larger;  however    some melanomas can be smaller;   
• Evolving when a mole or skin lesion looks different from the rest or is changing in size,  shape or color.

Free Skin Cancer Screenings at Mount Sinai:
The Kimberly and Eric J. Waldman Department of Dermatology to offer free screenings at three different Mount Sinai locations:

Thursday, May 9^th  3 – 6 pm
East 85th Street
Mount Sinai Skin and Laser Center
234 East 85th Street, Fifth Floor

Wednesday, May 15^th  5 – 7 pm
Mount Sinai-Union Square
10 Union Square East, Suite 3C

Wednesday, May 22^nd  5 – 7 pm
Mount Sinai West  (Ansonia Building)
2109 Broadway, Second Floor

About the Mount Sinai Health System

The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City's largest integrated delivery system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai's vision is to produce the safest care, the highest quality, the highest satisfaction, the best access and the best value of any health system in the nation. The Health System includes approximately 7,480 primary and specialty care physicians; 11 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 410 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. The Icahn School of Medicine is one of three medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report's "Best Medical Schools", aligned with a U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" Hospital, No. 12 in the nation for National Institutes of Health funding, and among the top 10 most innovative research institutions as ranked by the journal Nature in its Nature Innovation Index. This reflects a special level of excellence in education, clinical practice, and research. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 18 on U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" of top U.S. hospitals; it is one of the nation's top 20 hospitals in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Nephrology, and Neurology/Neurosurgery, and in the top 50 in six other specialties in the 2018-2019 "Best Hospitals" issue. Mount Sinai's Kravis Children's Hospital also is ranked nationally in five out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked 11th nationally for Ophthalmology and 44th for Ear, Nose, and Throat. Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Luke's, Mount Sinai West, and South Nassau Communities Hospital are ranked regionally.

For more information, visit http://www.mountsinai.org/, or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.