Get Educated on Skin Cancer!

To raise awareness of melanoma and other types of skin cancer, and to encourage early detection through self-exams, the American Academy of Dermatology designates the first Monday in May as Melanoma Monday (May 5, 2014) and May as Skin Cancer Awareness Month.

Your risk of getting skin cancer is real. Current estimates are that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer. The American Academy of Dermatology provides several ways to stay skin healthy:

Prevent. Never leave home without the proper sunscreen and enhance your sun protection with a wide-brim hat, sunglasses, shade and dietary supplements.

Detect. Look for new changing, itching or bleeding spots on your skin (see chart above).

Live. Schedule your annual skin exam with one of our dermatologists.

Help us spread the word about the risks of skin cancer on Melanoma Monday and all throughout May. Take the SPOT Skin Cancer Quiz and share it with your family and friends.

 

News from the American Academy of Dermatology

If you’re planning a spring getaway, you may be tempted to get a base tan before you leave.  Tanning in a tanning bed won’t prevent sunburn.  Time spent in a tanning bed will increase your risk of developing skin cancer.  To keep your skin looking and feeling its best, use a daily sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and don’t forget to reapply, especially if you’re in direct sunlight!

Dr. Lupo Warns Commuters About Possible Sun Damage While Driving

Dr. Lupo was recently interviewed on New Orleans’ WDSU where she discussed how the sun can cause skin damage, even skin cancer, for drivers with long commutes.

Dr. Lupo encourages everyone to wear a minimum of SPF 40 year round, and for anyone who is in direct sunlight during the day, including commuters, she recommends SPF 60.

Give Your Skin an Extra Boost with the “Essential Defense” Treatment

Give your skin the “Essential Defense” that it needs with daily use of sunscreen and TNS Essential Serum, an all-in-one rejuvenating product that improves the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and the overall tone and texture of skin.  Offer available while supplies last.

Get Educated on Preventing and Detecting Skin Cancer

In an effort to raise awareness about the prevention of skin cancer, the Lupo Center for Aesthetic and General Dermatology is joining the American Academy of Dermatology to spread the word throughout May during Skin Cancer Awareness Month and on Monday, May 6 for Melanoma Monday®. As the days grow longer and the temperature starts to rise, we all need to be aware that extra sun exposure can be very harmful to our skin.

It is currently estimated that one in five Americans will develop skin cancer in their lifetime. Numbers like that make a world without skin cancer seem to be an impossible goal. But it is in our reach. Skin cancer is highly treatable when caught early. The five-year survival rate for people whose melanoma is detected and treated before it spreads to the lymph nodes is 98 percent. Yet, sadly, one American dies from melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, almost every hour.

Join us on Melanoma Monday and throughout May to spread the word about skin cancer. Stop by our office to pick up sunscreen samples and educational information about preventing and detecting skin cancer as well as to schedule your annual skin screening with one of our doctors.

The Skin Cancer Foundation is devoted solely to education, prevention, early detection, and prompt treatment of the world’s most common cancer. Since May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, we want to share a few articles discussing ways to prevent and detect skin cancer:

• Only One Tanning Session Can Be Dangerous
• Hooked on Tanning: Why You Shouldn’t Start
• Hairstylists Spot Skin Cancer Warning Signs
• Skin Cancer and Skin of Color

Visit the Skin Cancer Foundation’s website for more information on skin cancer: www.skincancer.org

 

 

News from the American Academy of Dermatology: Dermatologist Warns Gel Manicure Is A Cancer Risk

The Washington Times (3/7, Chasmar) reports Dr. Chris Adigun, a dermatologist at the New York University School of Medicine, in a recent article in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, warned that “a rising fad of replacing traditional nail polish with quick-hardening gel may result in skin cancer, ” due to the UV light needed to cure the gel. Dr. Adigun advised, “Moderation is the key when it comes to gel manicures,” adding that he “advocates wearing hand sunscreen for women who get frequent gel manicures.”

The New York Post (3/7, Stretten, Sutherland, Fagen) reports, “Another concern is that no one knows what is the proper dose of these harmful rays because the UV lamps are not regulated.” Research published in JAMA Dermatology in 2009 said that “two middle-aged women, who did not have a history of skin cancer, developed tumors on their hands following exposure to UV nail light.” In contrast, the “LED lamps are used in drying regular nail polish and don’t pose a health risk because they don’t emit ultraviolet radiation.” An additional issue with the gel is that its durability means it can conceal nail brittleness, thinning, or cracking.