The 411 on Skin Cancer

Posted by Kali Glover & filed under .

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month and we at Collins Advanced Dermatology Institute want to stress the importance of protecting yourself from this dangerous disease; the first step in skin cancer protection is understanding more about it. Skin cancer comes in three common forms, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma, the most dangerous of the three. Here are some helpful statistics on these types of skin cancer:  

1. Over 5.4 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer are treated in more than 3.3 million people in the U.S. each year.

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2. The most common form of skin cancer is basal cell carcinoma (BCC). BCCs are rarely fatal, but can be disfiguring if given the chance to grow.

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3. The second most common form of skin cancer is squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

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4. More than 58 million Americans are affected by a pre-cancer called actinic keratosis.

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5. Melanoma is the most common form of cancer in young adults, ages 25 -29, and the second most common form of cancer in people, ages 15-25.

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6. Regular daily use of SPF 15 sunscreen or higher helps reduce the risk of developing SCC by 40 percent and melanoma by 50 percent. We recommend using EltaMD Broad-Spectrum sunscreen, which comes in a clear or tinted formula and can be purchased in office.

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7. In 2016, an estimated 10,130 people will lose their battle with melanoma.

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8. Melanoma is one of only three cancers with an increasing mortality rate for men, along with liver cancer and esophageal cancer.

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9. More people develop skin cancer because of tanning than develop lung cancer because of smoking.

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Help spread awareness by sharing these stats with friends and family, as well as scheduling regular skin checks and wearing sunscreen daily. For more information on these types of skin cancers, explore our Medical Dermatology dictionary. Also, be sure to schedule your next skin check with us online!  

Source: SkinCancer.org