Lifestyle Changes to Manage Melanoma
Protecting your skin and checking it for changes are keys to preventing another melanoma or catching one in an early, treatable stage.
Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays produced by the sun increases your risk of melanoma. Here’s how to protect your skin from the sun’s UV rays:
- Cover your skin with clothing, including a shirt and a hat with a broad brim.
- When outside, try to sit in shady areas.
- Avoid exposing your skin to the sun between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. standard time or 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. daylight saving time.
- Use sunscreens with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or more on skin that will be exposed to the sun.
- Wear sunglasses with 99% or 100% UV absorption to protect your eyes.
- Don't use sun lamps or tanning booths.
Check your skin regularly and have someone help you check areas you can’t see, such as your back and buttocks, scalp, underneath the breasts of women, and the backs of the legs. If you notice a new, changing or an irregular-looking mole, show it to a doctor experienced in recognizing skin cancers, such as a dermatologist. This may include large, irregular shape with a border that is not smooth and even, more than one color, or irregular texture. Your doctor may monitor the mole or recommend removing it
Contact your doctor if you discover a mole that is new has changed or looks suspicious: large or of irregular shape, color, or texture.
References
Melanoma. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://dynamed.ebscohost.com/about/about-us. Updated April 3, 2013. Accessed April 9, 2013.
Melanoma skin cancer. American Cancer Society
website. Available at:
http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/cid/documents/webcontent/003120-pdf.pdf.
Updated January 17, 2013. Accessed April 9, 2013.
Rigel DS. Cutaneous ultraviolet exposure and its relationship to the development of skin cancer.
J Am Acad Dermatol. 2008 May;58(5 Suppl 2):S129-32. Review.
Skin cancer prevention. National Cancer Institute website. Available at: http://cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/prevention/skin/HealthProfessional. Updated February 15, 2013. Accessed April 9, 2013.