Jul 29, 2008 3:44 pm US/Eastern
Sally Thorner's Blog On Melanoma
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
I have none of the risk factors... except one.
Melanoma is not in my family's history, I'm not fair- skinned, or into tanning beds.
But I have always loved the sun.
Then a dark speck I actually mistook for a tick prompted my first visit to a dermatologist.
I was diagnosed with melanoma six years ago.
Since then, I've had several non-invasive melanomas followed by several surgeries.
My love affair with the sun's over, but the damage is done.
I'm followed by a dermatologist every three months, and I will be looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life.
So here's the deal: limit your sun exposure and always wear gobs of sun block that protects you from both UVB and UVA radiation.
Get a baseline mole check by a dermatologist and monitor yourself for any new spots.
Enlist a loved one to check out the parts of your body you can't see. It could save your life.
Anyone can get skin cancer--people of color (Bob Marley died from it), children can get it, too. So your race or your age don't matter, everyone should be checked.
Please, do as I say and not as I did!
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