Shade Structure Grants Available

Dermatologists often tell their patients to seek shade. Staying out of the sun can greatly reduce a person’s lifetime risk of getting skin cancer. Because shade is so important, the American Academy of Dermatology (Academy) offers grants for permanent shade structures.

Each year, the Academy awards grants of $8,000 each for shade structures. The application for the 2011 grants is now available. To be eligible, an organization must be a non-profit organization or public school. It must primarily serve children and teens ages 18 and younger. And, it must have an existing sun-safety or skin cancer awareness program. To learn more about these grants, visit: Shade Structure Program.

Text Messages May Improve Teen's Eczema

Here is an article that appeared in EczemaNet Spotlight, an online information resource provided by the American Academy of Dermatology:

Do you wish your tween or teen would just use that eczema treatment as prescribed? If so, you may want to send daily text messages.

A study conducted at the Harvard Medical School found that patients respond to text messages. The text messages worked so well that most patients:

• Stuck to their treatment plan more days per week

• Had less eczema in 6 weeks

• Wanted to keep receiving text messages

All of the patients in this study had atopic dermatitis, the most common type of eczema. The patients were 14 years of age or older. Every patient received a daily text message for 6 weeks. The messages reminded them to use their medicine and gave them educational information about atopic dermatitis.

Most patients (90%) said the education information was helpful. And, 85% said the texts reminded them to treat their skin.

WRU W8ing 4¹? A text message just might be what your teen or tween needs to stick to that treatment plan.


¹ Text message shorthand for “What are you waiting for?”

Reference:
Pena-Robichaux V, Watson AJ, Kvedar JC. “Text messages as a reminder aid and educational tool in adolescents and adults with atopic dermatitis: A pilot study.” Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2010; March:62(3)suppl 1:AB10.

Commercial support: None identified

Proceeds from GloGloss for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of GloGloss by Glominerals will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation BCF. Click here to find out more about the product and how you can help your purchasing power count!

Breast Cancer Patients Are at Higher Risk for Melanoma

(An article from the Skin Cancer Foundation www.skincancer.org)

Skin Check-Ups and Self-Exams Are Critical Breast cancer is in the news these days, and women with the disease should be aware that they have an increased risk of developing melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. In the US in 2010, there will be an estimated 29,260 new melanoma cases in women. Genetics may play a role, since women with abnormalities in the BRCA2 gene for breast cancer susceptibility have more than two times the chance of developing melanoma than those without mutations in the gene. Breast cancer patients and survivors are advised to: Beware of photosensitivity. Photosensitivity is an increased sensitivity or abnormal response of the skin to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun or tanning machines. People with photosensitivity are at increased risk of skin cancer. Photosensitivity can be caused by certain medical conditions and treatments, and breast cancer patients should find out if their treatments could make them photosensitive. If so advised by their physicians, breast cancer patients should be especially careful to seek shade between 10 AM and 4 PM, when the sun is most intense; wear sun-protective clothing, including a wide-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses; and apply a sunscreen with a high Sun Protection Factor (SPF) — people with photosensitivity should look for sunscreens with SPFs of 30+, and some combination of the UVA-screening ingredients avobenzone, ecamsule, oxybenzone, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide. Be screened. The Foundation recommends that everyone undergo an annual full-body skin screening by a physician. Doctors may advise people at high risk of melanoma and other skin cancers to be screened more frequently. Perform self exams. Performed regularly (monthly is ideal), self-examination can aid in the early detection of skin cancer. Because skin cancers can vary in appearance, it is important to be on the lookout for early warning signs. Melanomas, for instance, often resemble moles. Look especially for skin changes of any kind, and do not ignore a suspicious spot simply because it does not hurt. Skin cancers may be painless but dangerous all the same. See a physician, preferably one who specializes in diseases of the skin, if you notice any of the warning signs. Know the signs. Be careful to take note of the following, when you perform a self exam. Click here to learn how to properly perform a self exam. 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.

The Dark Side of Tanning Beds: One Woman's Story

SkinCancerNet Spotlight Article

From tanning-salon customer to skin-cancer patient in just four years, Kimberly Sanga's mission is to raise awareness of the health risks associated with indoor tanning.

"Before you slip into a tanning bed, think about your future and the damage you are doing." Kimberly cautions.

Photo by Kristin Despathy

Patient Profile

At age 14, Kimberly Sanga wanted a killer tan. Blonde and fair-skinned, she thought a tan would make her look more attractive, so she stopped by her local indoor tanning salon and signed up for unlimited sessions. The buzz about the dangers of tanning did not faze her. All of her friends were using tanning beds, so she figured, “How bad could it be?”

More than 20 skin-cancer surgeries later, Kimberly knows how bad it can be. Scars from these surgeries crisscross her entire body. She has had 40-plus suspicious lesions removed. One surgery required 25 stitches in her groin.

Some of these excised lesions were basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer. Others turned out to be squamous cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer that can spread. Kimberly now worries that she could be diagnosed with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Her doctor shares this concern.

Suffering Lifelong Consequences
While Kimberly has not slipped into a tanning bed for 13 years, new growths continue to appear at a rate that alarms her. Within the past month, over a dozen new moles have developed. Kimberly continues to see her doctor regularly. Sometimes it is once every 3 months; other times she needs monthly visits. Lately, a routine has emerged. First she undergoes a full-body exam. Then suspicious lesions are removed.

While Kimberly knows what to expect, it does not make these visits any easier. Having lesions removed, she confesses, still disturbs her. “My doctor gives me a local anesthetic, but I can feel the tugging sensation as the scalpel moves across my skin.”

At least the skin-cancer surgery is quickly over. Waiting for the biopsy report, which provides the diagnosis for each excised lesion, is agonizing. “I try to visualize what I would say or how I would feel if the diagnosis comes back melanoma,” she says. “I think about what stage it would be and what the next step would be. I am always wondering how fast my dysplastic moles will change into cancer.”

To increase her chance of finding skin cancer in the earliest stage when the cure rate averages 95%, Kimberly examines her moles every other day. She is grateful to her husband, Shawn, who makes it his responsibility to examine her back. Between them, they look at the size, shape, and color of every mole on her body — current count 72.

Despite all she is doing to improve her chances, she still feels uncertain about her future. She feels cheated out of some of life’s simplest pleasures. There is no such thing as enjoying a day outdoors. This pained her most on her honeymoon. At Disney World, they had to plan their time so that they were indoors during the peak sun hours.

Reaching Out to Teens
Despite the challenges and a full-time career, Kimberly somehow finds the energy and time to raise awareness of the risks associated with tanning. She especially wants teenagers to know her story and about the dark side of tanning. “One of the scariest things I see is people under 20 crowding the tanning salons in my town year round.”

To reach local teens, Kimberly partnered with the chief of police in her hometown, a fellow cancer survivor, to create a forum at the local high school. They plan to hold the first forum this spring, just before spring break and prom season when teenage tanning bed use peaks.

To emphasize what can happen with just a few years of tanning, Kimberly will show photographs of her scars. She will tell these teens that she started using tanning beds at age 14 and was diagnosed with her first skin cancer after only 4 years of tanning. With heartfelt emotion, she will explain that the skin cancer removed from her breast at age 18 — a basal cell carcinoma — only develops with exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays. Even people who spend their lives outdoors in the sun tend not to develop basal cell carcinoma until their 40s, 50s, or 60s.

She will point out that tanning beds have changed this. Today, young, healthy people are developing skin cancer.

Kimberly wants everyone to know that she is not the first teenager to use tanning beds and develop skin cancer. She mentions fellow skin cancer survivor, Brittany Lietz who was crowned Miss Maryland in 2006. Brittany started indoor tanning while in high school. It was not long before she found herself slipping into a tanning bed 4 times a week. At age 20, Brittany was diagnosed with stage II melanoma.

Like Brittany, Kimberly encourages teens to think first. “Before you slip into a tanning bed, think about your future and the damage you are doing,” she pleads. If she can reach them, Kimberly believes they will never know the life she now leads.

Free Skin Cancer Screening