As some of you know from another thread, I recently had to go through another head-to-toe examination by a dermatologist of every single freckle and mole and had to have a big freckle/mole on my stomach removed (there is now a dime-sized hole that I am recovering from).
My family has a history of a type of skin cancer known as melanoma.
As a cancer, it has one of the fastest growing rates as a cancer in Western or advanced countries.
Here are some facts:
- Every hour someone dies of melanoma
- It is the #1 cancer of young women between the ages of 20 to 29
- It metastisizes (or spreads) to internal organs in as little as 4 months
- It strikes people of ALL skin color types -- not just white Europeans (though more prevalent in fair-skinned people)
- It has the fastest growing rate as a cancer among children
- It usually occurs in freckles and moles but it MAY occur ANYWHERE on the body
PLEASE SEE THIS LINK
If you do nothing else today, CHECK YOUR SKIN AND MOLES FOR ***ANY*** SIGNS OF MELANOMA BECAUSE THE KEY TO SURVIVAL IS EARLY INTERVENTION.
CHECK THE SKIN OF YOUR LOVED ONES AS A GIFT TO THEM FOR THE NEW YEAR AND IF YOU REALLY LOVE THEM GIVE THEM A BOTTLE OF SUNBLOCK LOTION!
PLEASE READ THESE FIRSTHAND ACCOUNTS OF EXPERIENCE WITH THE DISEASE AND REALIZE THAT IT *CAN* BE YOU OR A LOVED ONE THAT THIS HAPPENS TO!
I am letting fellow MacNNers know about this because it IS a concern to ALL of us. I am very fortunate because I have had every single suspicious lesion taken off as soon as I get them, but I know that because of genetics that I will always be at risk.
Remember, EVERYONE is at risk so check your skin and use your health insurance to get a check-up with a dermatologist or spend $60 for a skin exam. IT IS WORTH YOUR LIFE.
My family has a history of a type of skin cancer known as melanoma.
As a cancer, it has one of the fastest growing rates as a cancer in Western or advanced countries.
Here are some facts:
- Every hour someone dies of melanoma
- It is the #1 cancer of young women between the ages of 20 to 29
- It metastisizes (or spreads) to internal organs in as little as 4 months
- It strikes people of ALL skin color types -- not just white Europeans (though more prevalent in fair-skinned people)
- It has the fastest growing rate as a cancer among children
- It usually occurs in freckles and moles but it MAY occur ANYWHERE on the body
Quote:
|
Melanoma is a type of cancer, originating in the melanocytes, the cells containing color. Approximately 32,000 cases per year are currently diagnosed in the United States alone, and the incidence is increasing at the rate of 4.3% per year, one of the fastest increases in occurence rates of all cancers. In about 2% of occurences, the disease is present even though no skin discoloration occurs. This is called amelanotic melanoma. "According to the American Academy of Dermatology, one person dies from malignant melanoma every hour. The overall incidence rate for the disease is increasing faster than that of any other cancer and by the year 2000, an American's lifetime risk of developing melanoma will be one in 75. The disease is now the most commonly occurring cancer in women between the ages of 25 and 29 -- and is second only to breast cancer in women ages 30 to 34. " - Sept. 24, 1996 /PRNewswire; SOURCE: Schering-Plough Corporation. |
PLEASE SEE THIS LINK
If you do nothing else today, CHECK YOUR SKIN AND MOLES FOR ***ANY*** SIGNS OF MELANOMA BECAUSE THE KEY TO SURVIVAL IS EARLY INTERVENTION.
CHECK THE SKIN OF YOUR LOVED ONES AS A GIFT TO THEM FOR THE NEW YEAR AND IF YOU REALLY LOVE THEM GIVE THEM A BOTTLE OF SUNBLOCK LOTION!
PLEASE READ THESE FIRSTHAND ACCOUNTS OF EXPERIENCE WITH THE DISEASE AND REALIZE THAT IT *CAN* BE YOU OR A LOVED ONE THAT THIS HAPPENS TO!
I am letting fellow MacNNers know about this because it IS a concern to ALL of us. I am very fortunate because I have had every single suspicious lesion taken off as soon as I get them, but I know that because of genetics that I will always be at risk.
Remember, EVERYONE is at risk so check your skin and use your health insurance to get a check-up with a dermatologist or spend $60 for a skin exam. IT IS WORTH YOUR LIFE.