Melanoma Awareness Month

Did you know that May is Melanoma Awareness Month? Probably not. It's hard to keep track of all the "awareness" that goes on month to month. Anyway, this is obviously a topic that is near and dear to my heart, because my mother was diagnosed with melanoma when I was a freshman in college.

Sparing the gory details, because most of the people that read this blog know them anyway, melanoma isn't always a funny mole that has changed a bit over the years. My mom's was a weird brown streak underneath one of her fingernails. Say what? That being said, the majority of melanomas ARE moles that have changed a bit over the years, and often, a combination of things (denial, ignorance, etc) can lead to people ignoring these moles until it's too late.

Some stats about tanning beds*: 

1.  Your risk of melanoma increases by 75% when you use tanning beds before the age of 35.
2. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified tanning beds as the highest cancer risk category "carcinogenic to humans." Also classified in this category? Cigarettes, radiation, asbestos. Gross. 
3. Tanning can be addictive. 
4. Tanning bed users are also 2.5 times more likely to be diagnoses with squamous cell carcinoma and 1.5 times more susceptible to basal cell carcinoma.

Remember those weird moles I was talking about? 

• You can use this easy diagram from skincancer.org if you aren't sure if one of your moles looks funny. It shows how even if you have bigger moles/darker moles, it's okay, it's when there is one that is an 'outlier' it gets worrisome. 

From SkinCancer.org

• If you're not necessarily a visual learner and need something more concrete, use the ABCDEs of melanoma/skin cancer
• A: asymmetry
• B: border irregularity
• C: color variability
• D: diameter greater than 6 mm
• E: evolution (change)

So how do you prevent melanoma?

The research says cover up and avoid the sun between 10 am and 4pm. Well, that's easy if you're a hermit who doesn't like to swim/play sports/enjoy life. I mean honestly, it's unrealistic. That being said, if you're lounging by the pool this summer, WEAR SUNSCREEN. SPF 30 or higher is recommended for prolonged sun exposure. Our family rocks the SPF 70, just sayin'.


Basically, after all of this rambling, this is what I want you to take away from this post: 

1) Do not go to tanning beds. I don't care if you're getting married, in a wedding, have graduation/prom/a fancy dinner coming up, just don't do it. Get a spray tan. Or embrace the skin that you were blessed to have and ignore society's standards. I can't do the second one very well either, so I'm opting for a spray tan for an upcoming wedding.

2) Check your moles frequently. Go have a dermatologist check them once a year. I have moles that I can't really see because they're on my back, and I'll have someone else check them for me to see if they look different or strange to them.

3) Wear sunscreen. SPF 4 in tanning oil does not count. Wear at LEAST SPF 30 and reapply every 2 hours.


This is so relevant to our age group it's not even funny. I'm guilty of tanning in high school and that fact scares me. I know too many people who still go, despite knowing the risks. Please, don't take melanoma lightly. Most of you know the things my mom's gone through in the last 5 1/2 years and trust me when I say, it's not something we'd wish on our worst enemies. And I have some really bad enemies.

Back to regularly scheduled happy posts soon. That's right--I graduate on FRIDAY so you'll be seeing a lot more of me!


*From a Redbook feature on WebMD
**Disclaimer: I'm not a physician, nor should you take this as the end-all, be-all of melanoma facts/advice. I'm just a daughter and citizen that knows how important this stuff really is.