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HEALTHTuesday 24 January 2017
Hats Off
By: Dr Carlos Viana carcinoma at least once. ment needed. While BCCs and a herbal supplement areas are often sun dam-
But do not think only older seldom spread to vital or- that I never recommend, age that may not be
‘Hats off’ an expression people are at risk. gans, they can cause ma- St. John’s wort can cause cancer. However, it may
used to express admira- Melanoma, the most dan- jor disfigurement and oc- sun sensitivity. be acanthosis nigricans,
tion for someone who has gerous form of skin can- casionally result in nerve In our clinic, I diagnose which is not a skin disease,
done something praise- cer, accounts for up to or muscle injury. Certain medical conditions that but a skin sign of an under-
worthy. So, let us take our three percent of all pedi- rare, aggressive forms can put people at higher risk. lying condition or disease.
hats off to thank our lo- atric cancers. The treat- be lethal if not treated Most doctors do not ask for Besides the development
cal dermatologists who ment of childhood mela- promptly. a comprehensive blood of diabetes, it can reflect
conducted a free skin noma is delayed 40% of Squamous cell carcinoma test to see how close you kidney problems or colon,
cancer screening for the the time due to misdi- is the second most com- are to developing diabe- or breast cancer.
public. The dermatolo- agnosis of dark growth mon form of skin cancer. tes. Certain types of can- When a patient presents
gists donated their time that look like moles. Most More than one million cers are more common in with darkening and thick-
and money to provide melanomas are black or cases are diagnosed in people with diabetes. The ening of the skin, occur-
this valuable service. No brown, but they can also the U.S. each year. Squa- frequency and risk of de- ring mainly in the folds of
medical government be skin-colored, pink, red, mous cell carcinomas veloping overall skin can- the skin, I make sure not
agency provided any purple, blue or white. Mel- typically appear as per- cer, including melanoma, to run a blood test to find
financial support, addi- anoma is caused mainly sistent, thick, rough, scaly is higher with people with any underlying cause.
tional sponsorship was by by intense, occasional patches that can bleed insulin resistance (pre- Get The Point! We have
the local media and print sun exposure. So, cover if bumped, scratched or diabetes). Many doctors tipped our hat with thanks
companies. baby’s head when out scraped. check fasting blood glu- to those that took the
Being older than sixty- in the sun. Among adults They often look like warts cose, not learning how time and effort to screen
five I was excited to be Melanoma kills an esti- and sometimes ap- to connect insulin and In- our community. Now let
screened and was happy mated 10,130 people in pear as open sores with sulin-like Growth Factor-1 us put our hats back to
to see how many people the US annually. Countries a raised border and a (IFG-1) to determine your protect a little more from
attended. Over the past closer to the equator will crusted surface. People level of pre- diabetes, in- the damaging sunlight.
thirty years more people have greater numbers. who have fair skin, light sulin resistance. Covering up and avoid-
have had skin cancer Basal cell carcinoma hair, and blue, green, or People with increasing ing the hottest part of the
than all other cancers (BCC) is the most com- gray eyes are at highest levels of pre-diabetes will day, may be smarter than
combined. That means mon form of skin can- risk of developing the dis- develop skin tags around chemical sunscreens.
that each year there are cer. More than 4 million ease. Chronic infections the neck, armpits and And, be careful of the
more new cases of skin cases are diagnosed in and skin inflammation groin. A skin tag is a narrow reflection of our beauti-
cancer than the com- the U.S. each year. The can also increase the risk stalk of skin that bulges at ful sea even in the shade,
bined incidence of can- warning signs include: to developing squamous the end. Most of the time, when sitting on our white
cers of the breast, pros- open sore that bleeds, a cell carcinoma. Further- skin tags are just unsightly. beaches. Prevention is
tate, lung and colon. And red irritated area, a shiny more, immune deficiency However, when they ap- much better than having
as we baby- boomers get bump, a slightly elevated diseases, chemotherapy, pear, it means you are on to be treated for cancer
older more than 50% who pink growth, a scar-like and there are dozens of the road to developing and goes a long way.
live to age 65 will have area that is white, yellow medications and over- diabetes and when skin Come in for a blood test
either basal cell carci- or waxy. These five warn- the-counter drugs that tags are twisted, irritated, to ensure you are not de-
noma or squamous cell ing signs should not be can cause sun sensitivity. or bleeding, this might be veloping an environment
ignored. BCCs are easily Some of the most com- a good reason to seek where cancer can grow.
treated in their early stag- mon include: Antibiotics: medical attention. Let us help you by identi-
es. The larger the tumor doxycycline, tetracycline, Darkening skin on your fying chronic inflamma-
has grown, however, the ciprofloxacin, antidepres- sides of your face and tion and reducing risk for
more extensive the treat- sants: doxepin (Sinequan); neck or spots on exposed developing diabetes.q
