Learning about Melanoma Monday

Melanoma Monday is May 1. Kaitlyn Bhoopal, APRN, DCNP of Twin Ports Dermatology explains it’s an awareness campaign by the American Academy of Dermatology, “It is designed to provide education and, ultimately, to prevent skin cancer. So Dermatology clinics, like Twin Ports Dermatology, nationwide participate by offering free skin exams to new patients.”

“It’s important became melanoma is the most deadly form of skin cancer, and it’s treatable when it’s diagnoses early.”

Kaitlyn tells us melanoma occurs when there are changes that happen within a cell’s DNA. There are different risk factors: like family history, exposure to UV light, or having a significant number of moles.

Kaitlyn highlights the ABCDEs of melanoma:

Asymmetry: “You should be able to draw a line down the normal mole, and it should be a mirror image.”

Border: “You should be able to draw a nice clear circle around a normal mole. Melanoma is going to have fuzzy of even scalloped edges.

Color: “You don’t want to have any color variation within the mole. It’s going to be one solid color.”

Diameter: “It’s should be something less than 6mm or less than the size of a pencil eraser.”

Evolving: “Anything that is changing or evolving over time.”