SaltWire E-Edition

What’s that mole?

Doctor warns we’re not using sunscreen effectively to help prevent skin cancer

JUANITA ROSSITER

While Georgetown, P.E.I., resident Pam Hales was doing her hair one morning, she noticed a new mole in the centre of her back — about six inches below where her hair falls — that had not been there previously.

“I had a feeling that this one needed to be checked. And I am glad that I didn’t hesitate to get it checked,” she says.

Hales made a quick phone call to her family doctor, and within a week, she was referred to get a biopsy.

“The mole was definitely suspicious ... flat, irregular edges and that funky brown mottled colour. I just had the feeling that it was cancerous,” she says.

A few weeks later, she had the first biopsy done and says the doctor cut a rectangle out of her spinal area that measured about one inch by two inches.

A month later, she had the results.

“The mole was a superficially invasive melanoma, meaning cancer. Now they had to make a larger area on my back to make sure they got all of it,” she says.

Hales went back to get the area enlarged, and within a month got the results back saying everything was gone.

Hales feels that had she not gone with her gut feeling on this, it would have spread eventually and shortened her life.

“It truly is worth checking your skin for irregularities,” she says. “I am even more diligent about watching for changes in moles, not wanting to have chemo or anything, I am quite willing to have biopsies done to prevent the spreading of any cancer.”

MOST COMMON CANCER

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in Canada, and May is Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month.

Ian Landells (MD, FRCPC) has been the clinical chief of dermatology at Eastern Health in St. John’s, N.L., for the past 15 years. He is also a clinical associate professor of dermatology at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

He points out that there are three major types of skin cancers: basal cell carcinoma (which accounts for 80 per cent of all skin cancers), squamous cell carcinoma (making up 10 to 15 per cent of skin cancers) and melanoma (amounting to five to 10 per cent of skin cancers).

WHAT’S NORMAL?

Landells says basal cell carcinoma initially has the appearance of “pearly bumps” but will eventually break down and bleed.

“Although it often takes years to get really bad,” Landells says, “cases can eventually infiltrate bone or your eye.”

Squamous cell carcinoma, meanwhile, he describes as “a little more aggressive as it can spread to the lymph nodes. Squamous cells tend to be rough scaly areas and they can look like little horns on the skin.”

Melanoma often appears as black spots that are itchy and bleed, but it can also start in existing brown moles.

“It can spread to your lungs, liver or brain,” says Landells.

RISK FACTORS

As with any kind of cancer, people who have a higher risk of developing skin cancer may need to be examined more often than people with average risk.

So, what puts you at risk? Landells says some of the factors that can put people at higher risk of developing skin cancer include “if you have more than 50 moles, have a dysplastic mole, have a sibling or parent who has had melanoma, if you had a blistering sunburn earlier in life, have blue or green eyes and a light complexion, freckles or if you have used tanning beds.”

Where you live also factors into this equation.

“Recent studies show regional variations in higher rates of melanoma if you live in coastal areas, specifically Nova Scotia and P.E.I., lake areas in southern Ontario or in Southern British Columbia,” he says.

“This is most likely due to the tendency to head outside in these areas in the summer and exposing more skin to UV radiation.”

Statistics show one in 70 men and one in 60 women in Canada will get melanoma, and there will be 20 cases diagnosed for every 100,000 people per year.

If you live in Nova Scotia or P.E.I., that climbs to 30 cases for every 100,000 people per year.

WHAT WE NEED TO DO BETTER

Wearing a good SPF sunscreen, sun-protective clothing, a hat and sunglasses is common knowledge.

But you may be surprised at common mistakes identified by Landells.

The first concerns sunscreen.

Landells says that most people simply don’t wear enough and offers the following analogy.

“If you smear a small amount of sunscreen on your hand, then rub your hands together, and then proceed to spread it over your face, neck, arms and chest, this is like trying to paint an entire wall using only a thimble full of paint,” he says.

His formula involves wearing much more:

• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) on your face

• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) on your neck

• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) for each arm

• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) on your chest

• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) on your back

• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) on each leg

This amounts to using roughly two tablespoons (30 millilitres) on your body for every application.

“And when you do put it on, wait 15 to 20 minutes before you go out, so as to let it soak in,” he says.

Other key recommendations include “to not forget to re-apply sunscreen every couple of hours, re-apply after swimming and to wear it if you are driving long distances as windshields offer no protection from the sun.”

HOW TO PICK THE RIGHT KIND

Another common mistake identified by Landells is not paying attention to the UV index.

In Canada, the UV Index ranges from 0 to 11+.

“The UV index is what determines when to use sunscreen, and if the UV index is three or higher, you need to put on sunscreen. A lot of people look at the weather when making the decision to wear sunscreen or not — and most people guess wrong,” he says.

Landells recommends simply applying sunscreen to exposed skin daily.

“That way, you are always protected from skin cancer and also from premature aging of the skin, which is also caused by UV radiation,” he explains.

Statistics show one in 70 men and one in 60 women in Canada will get melanoma.

Did you know the “ABCDE” rule can help you to detect melanoma?

Asymmetry: The shape on one side is different from that on the other side.

Border: The border or visible edge is irregular, ragged and imprecise.

Colour: There is a colour variation, with brown, black, red, grey or white within the lesion.

Diameter: Growth is typical of melanoma. It can measure more than six millimetres, though it can be less.

Evolution: Look for changes in colour, size, shape or symptom, such as itching, tenderness or bleeding.

Source: Canadian Dermatology Association

Tip: Do regular skin exams Dr. Landells recommends:

• Checking your moles once a month

• If you have more than 50 moles on your body, get examined by a doctor once a year.

The Canadian Dermatology Association is a good place to start learning the steps involved in a thorough skin exam.

BY THE NUMBERS

It is estimated that in 2022:

• 9,000 Canadians will be diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer.

• 1,200 Canadians will die from melanoma skin cancer.

• 4,900 men will be diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer and 770 will die from it.

• 4,000 women will be diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer and 440 will die from it.

• Incidence is the total number of new cases of cancer. Mortality is the number of deaths due to cancer.

Source: Canadian Cancer Society

HEALTH

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2023-05-30T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-05-30T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://saltwire.pressreader.com/article/281629604649551

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