And melanoma is the second most common cancer among women age 25 to 29.
In spite of the scary statistics, we’re not suggesting you live in a cave.
Our job is to arm you with the facts and encourage you to stay safe.
And protecting yourself truly pays off.
Just ask these survivors; their stories will inspire you to safeguard your skin.
“I practically peeled myself a new nose every summer,” she says.
At 16, breakouts motivated her to see a dermatologist.
Along with her acne, a mole on her lower back caught the doctor’s attention.
Even so, Bercu wasn’t as committed to daily sun protection in college as she should have been.
“I went to school in Rhode Island, where it’s mostly rainy and snowy.
Sunscreen didn’t seem necessary year-round,” she says.
“As my family grew, I worried about my kids being in the sun,” Bercu says.
“I coated us all in sunscreen.”
Bercu also began doing triathlons, her UV exposure increasing as she spent countless hours training outdoors.
(Bercu has copies at home to do self-exams between visits.)
In May 2008, another questionable mole was excised from Bercu’s back.
“It was pin-sized, the tiniest mole I’d ever had removed,” Bercu says.
“I thought, I’m only 36.”
(This process is known as lymph node mapping.)
“I thought, I’m doomed,” she recalls.
“It’s everywhere inside of me.”
“I choose to continue the activities I enjoy but be smart about sun protection,” she says.
“I refuse to live like a prisoner to skin cancer.”
Health skin how-toTake cover!
Sun protection (at least SPF 30 plus UPF-infused clothes) is your most valuable anticancer weapon.
“It was like a drug,” says the self accessories director, 39.
(The shocking truth?
Even in the dead of winter, Gold would hit the blue bed several times a month.
In 2001, Gold moved to New York City to pursue a career in the fashion industry.
“I didn’t realize I was putting my life in danger,” she says.
“Then I got a major wake-up call.”
“Honestly, I hadn’t even noticed the mole had changed until then,” Gold admits.
“I was in complete shock,” Gold says.
“I thought, How could I have skin cancer?”
“It meant that if it was taken out, we’d have a cure.
So that’s exactly what I did.”
“Everyone was concerned when they saw the large white bandage taped across my cheek,” Gold recalls.
“I told my story to anyone who would listen to help raise awareness.”
“Anything that looks even remotely suspicious I have checked,” Gold says.
“It’s truly an ongoing battle.”
You get damage without realizing it," Dr. Mark says.
“I should have paid better attention to my skin.”
Postgraduation, she hung up her diploma and put away her bikini.
“I became vigilant about staying out of the sun,” Dr. Tanzi says.
I was very careful not to burn."
“It looked normal, but it had really changed in appearance,” she says.
“Still, I definitely wasn’t thinking cancer.”
“I just had a gut feeling.
I was trembling and kept repeating, ‘I can’t believe it.
I can’t believe it.'”
At first, Dr. Tanzi suspected the worst-case scenario: advanced melanoma.
And she was convinced that the second, larger mole was the culprit.
Fortunately, the lab results of the skin surrounding the tissue came back as clear of cancer.
Three weeks later, she returned to Dr. Braun to have the basal cell carcinoma removed, too.
“I think about dealing with a recurrence constantly.
To date, she has taken off a total of 18 lesions, mostly from her legs and back.
“I tell patients to get to know their moles,” Dr. Tanzi says.
“Being able to see your body every day is an advantage that your derm doesn’t have.”
She also preaches a proactive yet stern antiaging message to her young clientele.
“I spend a lot of time talking to patients about long-term prognosis,” she says.
“Because I know firsthand that fear of the unknown can be unbelievably overwhelming.”
Healthy-skin how-toSchedule regular checkupswith your doctor and yourself.
Look for growths that have changed shape, color or size and for ones that bleed or itch.
(See the A-through-E guidelines, page 56.)
“It could occur much later5, 10 or 15 years in the future.”
These online programs can help you net the latest information on melanoma.
Glow in the Dark CampaignTake the anti-tanning pledge at Jergens.com, then invite friends to do the same.
Check out the schedule atskincancer.org.
Photo Credit: Sonja Pacho
