May is Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention month, the perfect time to brush up on ways to protect your loved ones, since warmer weather means more time spent soaking up the sun.
Each year, 3.5 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed, making it the most common form of cancer in the United States. The good news is that skin cancer is easily cured if detected early, so doctors recommend that you perform a monthly self-examination.
Here’s what to look for:
• A skin growth that increases in size and looks pearly,
translucent, tan, brown, black or multicolored.
• Any brown spot (including moles, birthmarks, etc.) that:
o changes color or texture
o increases in size or thickness
o is irregular in outline
o is larger that . inch
o appears after age 21.
• A spot or sore that continues to itch, hurt, crust, scab, errode or bleed.
• An open sore that does not heal within three weeks.
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