Melanoma-Me News

Skin Cancer Awareness Month: Prevention, Protection and Early Detection

Skin cancer awareness month falls in May, the perfect time to spread awareness about melanoma. According to NICE, Melanoma skin cancer incidence rates in the UK have more than doubled (140%) since the early 1990s. Awareness is absolutely key, so people can spot early warning signs and learn how to take steps to prevent melanoma. Let’s look at this more closely.

What is Melanoma?

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer, and is actually the fifth most common cancer in the UK. In fact, according to Cancer Research UK, there are around 19,392 new cases of melanoma skin cancer each year in the UK (2019–2021/22). It’s usually considered the most dangerous form of skin cancer because it grows quickly and can spread to other parts of the body. The leading cause of melanoma is ultraviolet light, emitted by sources such as the sun and sunbeds. However, there are other factors that can increase the risk of melanoma too, such as a family history of skin cancer and certain medical conditions.

What Are the Early Detection Signs?

f melanoma is caught in the early stages, the chances of successful treatment increase. New moles or moles that have changed in appearance, such as shape, size, colour, or texture, can be a sign of melanoma. To spot signs of melanoma in a mole, the ABCDE method can be used:

Asymmetry: One half of the mole doesn’t match the other half.

Border: The edges of the mole aren’t rounded and are more irregular or blurred.

Colour: The mole is uneven or has different shades, such as brown, black, red, and white.

Diameter: The mole is larger than 6mm. Melanoma moles can be smaller, but this is a common warning sign.

Evolution: Changes in the appearance of a mole, such as shape, colour, size, and texture.

Other signs of potential melanoma can include a dark band under the nail that isn’t due to injury and a sore that won’t heal.

Prevention Tips

Approximately 86% of melanoma skin cancer cases in the UK are preventable. Most cases of melanoma are caused by UV overexposure due to sunlight or sunbeds, which is why reducing UV exposure is so important. Babies’ and children’s skin is a lot more sensitive compared to adult skin, so it’s important to ensure they’re protected from overexposure too. Here are some prevention tips:

• Be careful when UV light is strongest: Take extra care between 11 am and 3 pm, when UV light is at its peak in the UK. During these times, it’s best to sit in the shade if you’re outside and avoid staying out in the sun for too long.

• Wear suncream: Look for a higher SPF, as this allows fewer UVB rays (the ones that cause sunburn) to reach your skin. While no suncream can block 100% UVB rays, SPF 30 blocks about 97% and SPF 50 blocks about 98%. It’s also important to choose a suncream that protects against UVA rays, as they can cause sunspots, wrinkles, and increase the risk of cancer. You can do this by looking out for four or five stars on suncream bottles.

• Wear sun-protective clothing: Rather than relying solely on suncream, you should wear sun-protective clothing too. Sunhats reduce UV rays reaching your head, UPF clothing is designed to block UVA and UVB rays from reaching your skin, and sunglasses shield your eyes from bright light. When choosing sunglasses, look out for UV400, as these block 99% to 100% of ultraviolet radiation.

• Avoid sun beds: These emit UV radiation, which can damage your skin and lead to cancer. Sunbeds are considered a Group 1 carcinogen, meaning they are known to cause cancer.

Supporting Someone’s Mental Health During a Diagnosis

Supporting cancer at home involves more than practical care; emotional support can also make a big difference during a diagnosis. People who are newly diagnosed with skin cancer may feel a range of emotions, from fear and anxiety to confusion and frustration. Having a support system around them, from close friends to family, can make emotionally navigating their diagnosis just that little bit easier. Here are some tips:

• Ask if there’s any support they’d find useful. Sometimes just asking can give you all the information you need.
• Listen without offering solutions unless they ask you to. Validating their emotions is usually one of the most important things you can do to help them feel heard and understood.
• In some cases, encouraging professional emotional support might be helpful, allowing them to learn coping strategies and access ongoing support.

How to Spread Awareness

This skin cancer awareness month, there are several ways to get involved. This includes:

• Posting on social media: Reposting facts from reputable accounts and using skin cancer-related hashtags are great ways to spread awareness.
• Get involved in campaigns: For example, #SkinCheckChallenge™, launched by the Skin Cancer Foundation, involves checking your skin from head to toe for anything unusual and posting a video or photo online.
• Read people’s personal stories: This allows you to learn about their diagnosis, and learn something which you didn’t know before, maybe even something that could save your life.

Melanoma-Me

Melanoma- me supports patients and their families who are affected by melanoma and skin cancer through counselling and practical support. Our team of 10 counsellors all have a high level of awareness of Melanoma/skin cancer, and the effects a diagnosis and the aftermath can have on patients and their loved ones. To learn more about the services we have available, visit our website.

Written by
Rosie Buckley

Melanoma-Me’s 8th Birthday Party

Soundbath

On 11th September we held our first sound bath with Val from Natural Ambience at the foundation. We had a releasing ceremony first with Shelley (our group facilitator) where we released emotions or behaviours that were holding us back and affecting our emotional/mental health.

The sound bath itself took place in our treatment room where 14 of us took to our yoga mats. We had an hour slipping into a meditative trance where the sounds of trees swishing, water flowing and dolphins filled our senses. It was the most spiritual and healing experience that we hope to be able to repeat in the future.

The benefits of sound baths include relaxation, stress reduction, improved sleep, sleep induction, creativity enhancement, spiritual development, chance to rest and an opportunity to slow down and switch off.

Jessica’s Story

I was first diagnosed with Melanoma on March 24, 2021. I was 33 years old at the time, and a newly married mother of two daughters, ages 4 and a newly turned one-year-old!

My melanoma was located on my outer right calf. I noticed it when I was shaving my legs. It started to change colors and then kind of scab a bit. I just thought it was dry skin. My husband and I were just married on a beach in North Florida, so I didn’t think much of it. Maybe two weeks later, the spot started to internally itch; it’s very hard to explain. I made a dermatology appointment with the first office that could see me. I hadn’t been to a dermatologist since I was in my teens.

The dermatologist told me it was nothing to worry about and didn’t want to biopsy it at first. I pushed and told him I wasn’t leaving the office until it was biopsied, as I felt it was “textbook” melanoma. The ABCDEs—everything in the melanoma brochure—was ME!

The dermatologist told me I would have my biopsy results in about two weeks or so. I received a phone call about two days later. The words “You have melanoma” made my brain stop working. A lot more was said and discussed, and surgery was scheduled. I had no idea what that meant or entailed. I called my husband, and he asked me so many questions I didn’t know the answers to.

On April 6, 2021, I went to have my Wide Local Excision, and to be completely transparent, I had no idea what that meant. I was awake, and a plastic surgeon came in with a nurse. They laid me out on a table and injected a ton of lidocaine. The surgeon stated he would make the incision a bit larger than necessary to close with stitches. My incision ended up being approximately 6 inches long by about 2 inches wide; I cannot tell you how deep. I watched the whole procedure as if it was not my leg. I had a one-year-old daughter, a 4-year-old daughter, two dogs, and a husband at home; how could this be happening to me? I am fair-skinned, with light eyes, but I was only 33 years old. I always wore sunblock, I always had cover-ups and hid in the shade growing up. I only used a tanning bed twice and got so burnt that I never went back. I kept questioning everything.

The pathology report staged me at Stage 1A with a Breslow depth of .35mm.

My incision ended up getting infected. I went back to the office about three times, telling them something was wrong. They kept telling me it was normal leg wound healing, as it’s far from the heart. I went to urgent care, and they told me I needed to go back to the original office, as it was infected and needed to be debrided. They finally listened to me and swabbed it; it came back positive for a staph infection. The healing process started all over again. This is also when I searched for a new dermatologist.

In May 2021, I switched dermatology offices. They helped my wound heal without needing another surgery, and I have been affiliated with them since. I have had several biopsies. I was recently diagnosed with Dysplastic Nevi Syndrome.

My biggest takeaway is to always advocate for yourself. No one knows your body better than you. No textbook, no dermatologist, no doctor. Only you. If you have a practitioner that doesn’t value you and your concerns, find a new one.

I am approaching my three-year NED-iversary! Everyone in the melanoma world would understand how important that milestone is! My family has been extremely supportive in calming the anxieties that come along with a cancer diagnosis and every appointment I have had since and will have in the future. I have encouraged many friends and family members to seek dermatology body checks, and I hope to continue to do so.

New Premises

We completed our move to our new premises in February after a lovely Christmas break! We are now based in Sulgrave, Washington at NE37 3BJ.

We are open Monday-Wednesday and Friday each week from 9am-5pm. Our office number is 01914922211 and our email is info@melanoma-me.org.uk for all queries.

Christmas Market

Christmas Market – Melanoma-Me foundation 28th November

Santa’s Grotto

Kids activities

Christmas market

Leading Ladies

International drag show- 26th November at The Stella Pub Washington

£29.95

TICKETS AVAILABLE

Butterfly Ball in memory of Amanda Seymour

Butterfly Ball in memory of Amanda Seymour on November 20th  featuring George Pallas and Broken toys Band.

Ticket Price £45

SOLD OUT