The scar on Kimberly Wright's forearm is an everyday reminder of the melanoma mole she had surgically removed 15 years ago.
"I couldn't believe I was diagnosed with cancer," Wright said. "I thought me? I'm 28, I'm not married, no kids and here I am being diagnosed with a deadly form of cancer."
Statistics show one in 35 people born today will be diagnosed with melanoma during their lifetime. And one out of five individuals will develop a skin cancer.
Dr. Kimball Silverton, a dermatologist at Silverton Skin Institute in Grand Blanc says he diagnosis an average of eleven cancers a day, with melanoma being the most dangerous.
"If a malignant melanoma goes deeper than a millimeter a good percentage of those people will be gone within five years," Dr. Silverton said.
And though it's still not clear how all melanomas develop, exposure to the sun is believed to be the main culprit.
"The sun causes premature aging, wrinkles, moles, freckles as well as skin cancers," Dr. Silverton said. "Too much sun is bad for us, we know a little is good, alot is bad."
But there is some good news for those who do develop a skin cancer. You can see them. Dr Silverton says it's important to diagnose early and get it treated right away.
"You want to look for moles that are black in color, not dark brown, black. Look for moles that are bleeding, red, irritated for no apparent reason. Moles that are weird colors, green or blue. Moles that appear to be growing in the skin and popping out some place else."
Dr. Silverton says it's important to use sun block with you're out in the sun.
You can click on the link below for more links to skin cancer education.
