Skin Cancer PSA with Dr. Kathleen Suozzi
July 21, 2021Skin Cancer PSA with Dr. Kathleen Suozzi
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Information
Dr. Suozzi discusses screening for skin cancer and symptoms to be aware of.
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To CiteDCA Citation Guide
- 00:00Skin cancer is divided into two categories.
- 00:04The first category is non
- 00:05Melanoma skin cancer.
- 00:07The two most common types of non
- 00:09Melanoma skin cancer are basal cell
- 00:11carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma,
- 00:14and then there's Melanoma skin cancer.
- 00:21Skin cancer can present with a
- 00:24variety of symptoms. Classically,
- 00:26when we think of Melanoma skin cancer,
- 00:29we think of the ABCD ease of Melanoma.
- 00:32These refer to features of moles that
- 00:35patients can look out for that may
- 00:39trigger an exam by a dermatologist.
- 00:41So what the ABC DE stand for a is asymmetry.
- 00:46B is border meaning irregular border.
- 00:49C is color and this can mean
- 00:51changing of color overtime or a
- 00:53mix of colors within a lesion.
- 00:55D is diameter and so this is means in
- 00:59general lesion that's larger than 5
- 01:01millimeters or the size of a pencil,
- 01:03eraser and E, which is probably
- 01:05the most important is evolving.
- 01:07So if a patient tells me that this mole
- 01:10has been present for a long time, but
- 01:13it's changing, that means it
- 01:15probably needs to be biopsied.
- 01:22The patients that are most at risk
- 01:24for skin cancer are individuals
- 01:26who have a high degree of history
- 01:29of UV exposure or sun exposure.
- 01:31Patients who are more fair
- 01:33skin light eyes. They are at
- 01:35higher risk of skin cancer than
- 01:38patients with darker skin.
- 01:39Although we can see skin cancer
- 01:41really in all skin types.
- 01:48If you're in a latitude like
- 01:50Connecticut in the summer months,
- 01:52an SPF of 30 or above should be sufficient.
- 01:56The drawback of the higher SPF's
- 01:58is that they can have a thicker
- 02:00consistency, be a little different,
- 02:02more difficult to apply.
- 02:09Any patient who has a family history of
- 02:12skin cancer should have an annual check.
- 02:14Any patient who has a history of atypical
- 02:17moles or has greater than 50 moles,
- 02:20they should be checked annually.
- 02:22Of course, anyone with a
- 02:24personal history of skin cancer.