18-05-2025
Skin Cancer prevention tips ahead of summer
Waco, TX (FOX 44) – May is skin cancer awareness month and the beginning to the unofficial start of summer–with longer sun exposure. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer diagnosed in the United States — but not everyone knows what skin cancer looks like.
When it comes to skin cancer, early detection equals better outcomes. Dr. Katie Fiala is a dermatologist at Baylor Scott and white. She says the most common kind of skin cancer is basal cell carcinoma.
'A lot of times people will tell us they thought it was just a pimple or something. Like, it wouldn't heal and it wouldn't go away. It kept bleeding. It kind of grew a little bit,' says Fiala.
She adds melanoma is more aggressive–and says 'ABCDE' is a helpful way to help remember any significant changes in the development of this type of skin cancer:
A, for asymmentry: healthy moles should be round. Moles with an irregular shape are suspicious.
B, for border: if the mole has an uneven border, this may be cause for alarm.
C, for color: a mole should be a deep brown color. If it has any discoloration such as red, white, pink, or deep black, it should be looked at immediately
D, for diameter: any mole that is larger than 3 millimeters in diameter should be checked.
'Keep in mind though, we definitely have caught melanomas smaller than that. You don't have to wait until it's the size of a pencil eraser,' says Fiala.
E, for evolution: closely monitoring moles is important. A mole may seemingly look harmless, but once there are any signs of the other four changes, please notify a physician.
'Pay attention to if you have an old mole that's been there for years and years, and then all of a sudden it starts to bleed, change, grow, change, colors,' adds Fiala.
Dr. Fiala adds to avoid being in the sun during its harshest times of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., wear sunscreen and re-apply it every two hours, do not burn, wear protective clothing like sunglasses, and hats, and do self-skin checks every week.
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