IU Health Center to offer free skin cancer checks

When freshman Nicole Smith noticed that a spot on her skin began to change rapidly in shape and size, she went to her physician for help. Her physician told her she had melanoma, the most deadly type of skin cancer, which could have spread to her lungs and brain. Although she was only 20 years old at the time, her physician informed her that she could have died within the year had her melanoma gone undetected. \nToday, Smith is a melanoma survivor and the student coordinator of a free skin cancer screening offered by the IU Health Center Thursday.\nAlthough Smith was fortunate, thousands across the country are not as lucky. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, 105,750 melanoma cases were reported in 2005. An estimated 7,700 Americans die from melanoma annually. More than an estimated 1 million people a year die from skin cancer, the most common of all cancers, each year.\n"A lot of people don't realize how serious melanoma can be," Smith said. "It's something that can spread to your brain within a year and be fatal."\nMelanoma begins in melanocytes, the cells that make the dark pigment melanin that causes a person's skin to tan. Melanin is produced by melanoma cells, which is why this type of skin cancer appears as shades of browns and black. However, it can also appear as shades of red or white. Because melanoma typically spreads to other parts of a person's body, it is vital that a person receives treatment immediately. Although signs of melanoma might begin in or near a mole or spot of skin, it can also appear sporadically on a person's body. A pamphlet from the American Academy of Dermatology says if moles, sores, growths or any part of a person's skin begin to discolor or change, it is imperative that the person visit a physician or dermatologist immediately. \nThe best way to prevent skin cancer is by avoiding the sun, which entails applying sunscreens with SPF of at least 15, wearing light-colored, protective clothing and hats in the sun and avoiding the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when ultraviolet rays are the most powerful. \n"Melanoma is associated with people going out sporadically and getting sunburned, such as an office worker who goes to the beach a few times a year and gets burned," Smith said. \nThis overexposure includes the damage that occurs to a person's skin as a result of using tanning beds. Some people tan in beds every other day, while others only tan occasionally. This occasional tanning is often referred to as "pre-tanning," which is tanning once or twice in a tanning bed before spending a length of time in the sunlight. \nSenior Dana Wood said she only tans on occasion. \n"I usually only go tanning if I want to be tan for an event or something, like a dance or spring break," she said. "When I do that, I usually go about three times a week." \nAlthough Wood said she does not tan to develop a base tan before being out in the sun, several people do and are under the misconception that by tanning in beds they are actually developing a base tan and protecting their skin from being damaged in the sunlight.\n"Pre-tanning is a false safety. It protects your skin less," said Anne Reese, the director of Health and Wellness Education at the IU Health Center. "There is a lot of pressure to look like other people and do what they do, but very little accurate information about the effects of ultraviolet light on someone's skin."\nSmith said she would like to see more people desire healthy skin than a full tan. \n"We have this 'bronze is beautiful' idea in our society, and it's really not like that in other countries. In other countries, it's more acceptable to be fair-skinned and light, but not here," she said. \nSun exposure might be the easiest culprit to blame, but it certainly isn't the only one. In fact, although she had never tanned before, Smith developed melanoma because of her light skin. Other factors that can lead to skin cancer include repeated exposure to medical and industrial x-rays, scarring from diseases and burns, having fair skin and having a family history of skin cancer.\nThe early detection of Smith's condition helped her beat the odds of becoming a melanoma casualty. \n"(Skin cancer) is so preventable and you know that it can happen to you," Smith said, referring to why students should take advantage of the free skin cancer screening. \nA skin cancer screening is relatively simple and painless. People can have particular areas of their skin examined, or can receive a full-body screening, which Reese recommends.\nAlthough the skin cancer screening at the health center is free, the base price for a skin cancer screening at a local dermatologist is $85 and can cost between $100 and $300 per spot or mole removed depending on its location. The screening at the health center will be free to students and held from 2:30 to 4:30 Thursday in the Hoosier Room at the Indiana Memorial Union. Although this is a non-appointment screening, students are advised to sign in early.