Skin Cancer - TV Spot Copy (Frederick G. Weniger)

Hello, my name is Dr. Fred Weniger of Coastal Empire Plastic Surgery bringing you this week's health tip: [pause]

Many of us know someone whose life has been affected by cancer. You may not realize, though, that skin cancer is the most common type of cancer there is. Some types of skin cancer can be deadly, it therefore skin cancer is something that we must all take very seriously.

There are basically 2 types of common skin cancers: melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers.

Melanoma is the most deadly of the skin cancers. It can affect people of any age. There is some good evidence that the formation of melanoma is related to ultraviolet radiation exposure from the sun. Your chance of getting melanoma is also influenced by other factors such as your genetic background. The reason that melanoma is so dangerous is that it can spread to other parts of the body, such as the abdominal organs and brain.

Melanoma usually starts as a dark spot (like a dark freckle) that grows with uneven coloration, irregular boarders, and can occur in a pre-existing freckle or as a new spot on the skin. For this reason, any dark spot that is new or changing or looks different from all of the others should be checked by a doctor.

In contrast to melanoma, skin cancers like basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma often start like bumps or scabs or ulcers, and usually occur in areas that have gotten a lot of sun exposure, such as the head and forearms. Although it is much less common for these types of cancers to spread to other far-away parts of the body, than can cause severe disfigurement or even death if they slowly grow and destroy surrounding structures.

Because skin cancer is so common, and because the results are so serious, we all must be on the lookout of suspicious lesions on our bodies. If something does not look right, please have your doctor check it out before the problem gets out of hand. And finally, we should all remember that, while we live in this lowcountry paradise, we need to protect ourselves and our children with sunscreen and protective clothing to help decrease the risk of skin cancers.

Again, this is Dr. Fred Weniger of Coastal Empire Plastic Surgery. I'll look forward to talking to you next week about breast reduction surgery.