Skin cancer is by far the most common form of cancer. In the US 3.5 million people are diagnosed annually with non-melanoma skin cancer (the more benign form), while more than 73,000 people are diagnosed with melanoma (the most serious form of skin cancer). Knowing which type of cancer you may have contracted is key since it holds important implications for treatment and survival.
A final diagnosis should always be made by qualified medical professional however, you should keep a eye out yourself for subtle changes on your skin. Knowing what to look for during self-examination will help with early detection when treatments and remission are most likely to be successful.
People with light skin, naturally blonde or red hair, and with freckles and moles should be particularly vigilant. They should know how to distinguish between harmless moles and carcinomas, or worse, melanomas.
As always, prevention is better than cure, and skin cancer is one of the easiest preventable cancers. Take care to minimize sun exposure to the absolute minimum. Both UVA and UVB radiation from the sun can cause damage to your DNA that can result in cancer. If you have to be out in the sun wear protective clothing, long sleave shirts, hats and, at a bare minimum apply sunscreen with the highest SPF value you can find.
If you are an esthetician you are in a very privileged position in that you can provide a service far more valuable than merely improving your client’s appearance, you can save their life. Working closely with a client’s skin you are in the best position to examine your client for possible signs of carcinoma or melonoma. The esthetician has the unique opportunity to alert their client to have anything suspicious on their skin to be checked out by a physician. At the same time you can educate your clients how to self-examine their own skin, what to look for and which prevention measures to take.
Sources:
http://www.skincancer.org/
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/skincancer/
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/index.htm
http://www.cancer.org/research/infographicgallery/skin-cancer-prevention
“Early Detection of Skin Cancer”
New York Institute of Beauty will be hosting a complimentary seminar featuring Dr. Jennifer DeFazio, MD of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center on July 14, 2015
“Early Detection of Skin Cancer”
Tuesday, July 14, 2015 at 6:30pm – 8:30pm
11 Oval Drive, Suite 180, Islandia NY 11749
RSVP: 631-582-4737
Class Description:
Estheticians are on the front line of detecting possible skin cancers on their client/patient. Providing the Esthetician with as much information as possible about the different types of skin cancers is invaluable to early detection and possibly saving someone’s life. Dr. DeFazio has a unique way of respecting the appearance enhancement education of the Esthetician and providing more scientific medical information an Esthetician can use in their career for early detection of skin cancer.
Featuring Guest Speaker: Dr. Jennifer DeFazio, MD of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Dr. Jennifer DeFazio is a dermatologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center located in Hauppauge, NY. She is a graduate of the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and completed her Dermatology residency at Stony Brook Medicine. Her focus of practice is cutaneous oncology.
