You may have also read on our wall, or on Twitter, that we’re going to be accepting appointments at our MOBILE clinic, arriving in San Francisco the week of October 10th. Please share this with all your friends and loved ones in the Bay Area as we bring the most advanced detection services to the West coast.  Call 1-877-MOLESAFE (1-877-665-3723) to schedule an appointment there…or at any of our permanent clinics in six locations around the country.

If you can’t make it to one of our clinics, do continue to practice self-exams and book your annual examinations with your dermatologist.

MelApp from Health Discovery on iTunes

If you’ll be attending the AAD next weekend (American Academy of Dermatology) we hope to meet you.  Please look for me, Dr. Richard Bezozo as well as Dennis Favazza – MoleSafe’s Director of Business Development, and Maddie Pallamary, RN.  We’ll be at the conference, taking place Aug 4-6 at the Hilton Hotel in NYC — Booth # 330.  Please come by and let’s talk in person about MoleSafe and our leading edge diagnostic tools.

Finally, in other news, there’s another way to remember your ABCDEs! Similar to the app we reported on a couple of months ago you can use your iPhone now in the meantime with MelApp to share images of your moles with your doctor, along with a helpful reminder of exactly what to look for on your skin — and the skin of a loved one.

Next, what better time than Mother’s Day to thank moms like the Walters sisters who now also ensure they practice safe sun exposure for their kids as well!  As a reminder, that includes having them play in the shade, using protective clothing, and applying sunscreen regularly.

Speaking of sun exposure, SpaFinders is in on the awareness path with a sun-exposure alert bracelet!  Much better idea than the “suntan turnover time alerts” we still hear on the radio some times…

Another way to make a “fashion statement” about melanoma is through the numerous items touting Melanoma Awareness which you can find at Zazzle.com, for example.

We applaud the AAD‘s “31 Days and 31 Ways” to Prevent and Detect Melanoma.  Check out each of the days of May for good tips and suggestions, as well as their list of locations for free skin cancer check-ups.  Of course, we believe that May is the best time — before summer kicks off — to get the most thorough exam possible using the latest high tech methods of screening for skin cancers and melanoma, and that is the methodology used by MoleSafe in the U.S. and MoleMap worldwide.

Here’s to a good, healthy month of May!

This nodular lesion is a squamous cell carcinoma. These lesions are seldom fatal but can be disfiguring. Credit: The Skin Cancer Foundation

The images are startling, clear, and come with specific explanations of the whys and whats that distinguish the moles and lesions in the photos.  They may be difficult for the average person to review, but I feel they are important as a way to increase awareness of what could be ignored or overlooked  and with this kind of education what could, just as the title promises, save your life.  Just as we felt about Dr. Oz and the “in your face” videos of skin cancers and prevention information that he shared, this photographic guide is worthy of a “Hat’s On” award for straightforward, helpful coverage of exactly what to look for in the variety of skin cancer presentations.

And yet again, here are those rules of thumb again for your skin self-exams and warning signs to heed:

• A skin growth that increases in size and appears pearly, translucent, tan, brown, black, or multicolored
• A mole, birthmark, beauty mark, or any brown spot that:
  • changes color
  • increases in size or thickness
  • changes in texture
  • is irregular in outline
  • is bigger than 6mm or 1/4”, the size of a pencil eraser
  • appears after age 21
• A spot or sore that continues to itch, hurt, crust, scab, erode, or bleed
• An open sore that does not heal within three weeks

Thanks to our friends at the Skin Cancer Foundation, you can take advantage of their 4th annual skin cancer screening tour, which kicked off again just last week.

The 2011 Tour will make an estimated 80 stops in 24 states. After kicking off in Jacksonville, Florida on March 11, the Tour bus, a 38-foot customized RV with two exam rooms, will travel around the country stopping in some new cities this year. The Tour reaches New York City just in time for Skin Cancer Awareness Month in May. The 2011 Road to Healthy Skin Tour will conclude in New Orleans on September 17.

Tour Route: Skin Cancer Foundation Screening Bus

So, here, there and everywhere (a line from another great song!) is an opportunity to look out for yourself and your loved ones; no excuses! Plan your checkup today.  You can even use their site to “tell a friend.” Please do; a life could depend on it.

There are two issues at play here.  The first is the need for improved detection of Melanoma.  As we’ve noted here repeatedly, the MoleSafe technique takes skin cancer  assessments and screenings to the next level, well beyond the “naked eye exam,” which, as I described again in my last post, is a good precursory practice between more rigorous screenings but is out-dated when used as the exclusive approach.  The second issue is that there is still the challenge in interpreting the results of biopsies of suspicious moles, no matter how they are discovered.

As the Duke article says,

Doctors typically use a light and a magnifying glass or tissue biopsy, where a pathologist removes suspicious skin cells and looks at them under a microscope, to spot signs of disease. But using a lens and a light is a “17th century” technique that is only 85 percent accurate, at best, and tissue biopsy is not much more reliable…

In 14 percent of biopsy diagnoses, pathologists would disagree on whether or not the sampled cells were cancerous, according to a 2010 study published in the Journal of American Academy of Dermatology. The statistic implies that two pathologists would have opposing diagnoses on 214,000 to 643,000 melanoma cases each year.

Since, as a result, many doctors will follow the “when in doubt, cut it out” philosophy, this new laser holds the promise of maximizing accurate diagnoses, and down the road perhaps being a promising pre-biopsy screening tool as well.

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In other screening news, Bloomberg’s BusinessWeek reported on a story posted in the Archives of Dermatology on the increased skin self-exams conducted by kidney transplant patients from good old-fashioned education and information. Compliance in self-exams jumped to 89% among those in the study group, resulting in a dozen patients actually spotting an area of concern and making an appointment with their dermatologist.

The patients in the intervention group were given printed educational materials to promote skin self-examination. The patients in the control group did not receive the educational materials. Follow-up revealed that patients in the intervention group were much more likely to perform skin self-examinations than those in the control group — 89 percent vs. 22 percent.

This just underscores the ongoing need for education and awareness.  We hope more physicians will take the time to educate ALL patients – high risk or not.

While dermatascopes and the analyses used at MoleSafe are the most effective in detecting skin cancers and Melanoma, being vigilant by starting with your own naked eye exam is important, too.  AND it’s important for doctors to mandate that as well.  Shockingly, only 59.6 percent of family practitioners and 56.4 percent of internists conduct regular full-body skin exams, compared to 81.3 percent of dermatologists. (We would like to know why it is not 100% of dermatologists, though.)

According to a story in Bloomberg Businessweek last month,

“The most common reasons for not performing this type of examination were patient embarrassment/reluctance, time constraints, and other patient illnesses.”

About half of the internists and family practitioners cited time constraints as an impediment to conducting the naked eye exams.

I find all those reasons unacceptable since taking five minutes is nothing compared to a diseases that takes lives.

Our post in 2009 here on Melanoma Updates publicized the suggestion that not only should medical students be trained in naked eye exams no matter their ultimate specialization, but asking your doctor to keep an eye open while checking your lungs and seeing your back, or seeing your legs while checking your reflexes.

So, show the love this year and start by checking yourself, check your mate, and check with your doctor.

Marissa Miller and the Bare Facts about Skin Cancer

This time Miller went beyond the bathing suit or lingerie and took it all off (except for a pair of sneakers) for Marc Jacobs’ new skin cancer awareness campaign called Protect the Skin You’re In.  I’m of the belief that if something will help call attention to our cause then who am I to stand in the way — especially when one of our MoleSafe clinic location partners will benefit?  In all seriousness, this Hats On Award goes to Marc Jacobs, who will feature the eye-popping ads on yellow  t-shirts available at Marc Jacobs boutiques, with all the proceeds going to the NYU Cancer Institute.

It’s also good to read some of the comments on Ms Miller’s blog about the photo and the campaign: a few readers wrote in to note that they had definitely stopped tanning.  (Note:  Our next post? On what one magazine is suggesting might “scare kids straight…out of the tanning bed.)

One thing we should point out: even though Ms Miller did leave her sneakers on, don’t forget to include your feet, and even between the toes, during your regular skin self-exams!

So, our first Hat’s On Award goes to Dr Oz, for his very informative, and sometimes in-your-face real, series of answers and show segments on this disease.

In this example, he shows off the mole of an audience member to explain the ABCDEs of self-exams. In another more startling audience experience he shows a real tissue sample of the effects of skin cancer.

Dr Oz Showing Skin Cancer Tissue Sample

Even his fans have picked up the gauntlet: here’s a written summary of the above skin cancer prevention show in this blog excerpt created by “DrOzFans.com”:

Dr Oz: How to Avoid Skin Cancer

The Dr Oz Cancer Proof Your Life show including a segment on the number one cancer you can avoid – Skin Cancer.  Over 1 million Americans are diagnosed with Skin Cancer and almost 1 person every hour dies from it.  Doctor Oz said that Skin Cancer is preventable.  A Melanoma usually has pigment, but it does not have to have a color to be dangerous.   He showed a sample of a real Skin Cancer that looked very rough and scaly on the surface.

Here is Dr Oz’s list of true / false questions about Skin Cancer.  See how many you get right!

1.  If you live in North Dakota & use sunscreen, your risk of Melanoma may be greater than someone in South Florida?

Dr Oz said that this is true because people in North Dakota have a higher risk for Skin Cancer for two reasons.  One reason is that there is less ozone in North Dakota than in Florida, so the UV rays can get through more easily.  The second reason is that Vitamin D helps to prevent Skin Cancer, and Northerners tend to be low in Vitamin D.  So Dr Oz suggested taking vitamin D supplements or you can be in the sun for only 15 minutes a day, and after that you must apply sunscreen.  Dr Oz said that the right amount of sunscreen to apply is the amount that would fill up a shot glass (1.5 ounces).

2. The Color of Your Clothes Can Protect You From Skin Cancer?

True!  Dr Oz said that different colors of clothes do protect you from the sun better.  For example, red or blue fabrics are harder for the rays to get through, whereas white or yellow clothing puts you at a greater risk.  This past summer I noticed a trend in companies offering clothing with built in sunscreen, which also seems like a great option.  Dr Oz said that your face is very prone to getting Skin Cancer, and it is twice as likely to kill you if you get it there, so make sure to cover your head with a hat too.

3.  Pedicures Increase Your risk of Skin Cancer? 

Dr Oz said that it is true that Pedicures increase your chances of getting Skin Cancer.  You must remove nail polish at least once a month to make sure nothing is growing underneath your nail.  Also, the UV light used in nail drying machines may cause cancer, so either ask your nail technician to turn off the UV light or just let your nails air dry.

Checking yourself or partner for skin cancer means taking regular reviews of all the spots and dots on your body.

Here’s an oldie but goodie post about early skin cancer detection and a how-to reminder on skin cancer self-exams.

Stay safe and have fun out there!

Story of Melanoma patient's fight for life, and to raise awareness.

So we bring you this journey of Alan Lewis, from 3News. Alan, a record-setting speed boat racer, is a melanoma patient from New Zealand and now in a race for his life. He’s making it his mission to shine a worldwide light on the need for early detection of skin cancer by allowing a series of videos to follow his fight. Though his situation is dire, we thank him for his candor and bravery and by sharing it here hope to help that goal.

In the video, Alan mentions the challenge of a self-skin exam. As we suggested in a post from February, a great way to “love the one you’re with” is a mutual skin exam as a first line of defense. But best practices? Book your own thorough screening at a MoleSafe location today.