Three Alarming Facts About Melanoma

One in five Americans will develop some form of skin cancer by the time they’re 70 years old. While there are many types of skin cancer, most of them are treatable when caught early, including the deadliest one – melanoma. The key here is catching melanoma early so a treatment plan can be implemented sooner rather than later. Here are three alarming facts about this deadly form of skin cancer:

• Having 5 ore more sunburns DOUBLES your risk for melanoma – It’s easy for some people to get sunburned, especially those with fairer complexion. However, anyone can get sunburned. Getting sunburned means your skin has sustained damage from the sun’s harmful UV rays. The sun’s radiation can break down your skin’s DNA, preventing it from properly growing into actual skin cells. The result then is the growth of abnormal cells, or cancerous cells.
• An estimated 7,990 people will die of melanoma in 2023 – This is an alarming statistic, and to further break it down: 5,420 men and around 2,570 women are projected to die of melanoma this year alone. This is out of the estimated 186,680 melanoma cases that will be diagnosed this year. Another alarming fact to add to this is that between 2012 and 2022, the cases of invasive melanoma that have been diagnosed has increased by 31 percent.
• More and more minorities are being diagnosed with melanoma – Late stage melanoma diagnoses have become more prevalent among hispanic and black individuals in recent years. In the past twenty years alone, melanoma incidence among the hispanic population in the United States has risen by about 20%. This means that just because you have a more tan complexion, does not mean that you are immune to melanoma. Everyone is susceptible to this disease.

We at Divine Dermatology encourage everyone to get their yearly skin checks. Skin checks are important to help preventing this survivable disease. For the month of May, we are offering FREE skin checks, click here for more information.