WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — As temperatures get warmer and more people head outdoors, it’s important to remember to keep your skin safe from the Sun’s harmful rays.
One person affected was Dennis Mendleson, who 5 years ago, was diagnosed with skin cancer and had to have several lesions removed from his arms.
While Mendleson was worried at first, he didn’t take it as seriously as he should have, until it came back.
“I was surprised, I was worried about, okay, how bad is this,” Mendleson said. “It really surprised me. I thought, well okay, we got this taken care of. But because I wasn’t taking it as seriously, it, it returned.”
Basel and Squamous Cell skin cancer are the most common forms of cancer in the US.
More than 5.4 million people are diagnosed every year, with Basel and Squamous Cell skin cancers making up 95% of all skin cancer diagnoses.
Deaths from those types of cancer are uncommon, with between 2,000 and 8,000 people dying from them every year.
Kyle McCool is a radiation oncologist for Novant Health.
He said it’s important to pay attention to any unusual spots on your skin.
“Typically, if the lesion is changing over time, if it has irregular borders, if it’s very dark, you know, growing, then you’ll want to present to someone so they can determine if you need a biopsy or not,” McCool said.
Mendleson said getting skin cancer has changed his mindset when it comes to protection.
“Well it didn’t change my mind about being outside but it did change my mind about wearing sunscreen. And I wear sunscreen regularly now, my wife reminds me to wear sunscreen.”
Doctor McCool said wearing sunscreen with a rating of SPF 30 or higher will help protect your skin and he also recommends wearing a hat and covering any exposed skin as much as possible.
He also said that men between the ages of 55 and 75 are 100 times more likely to get skin cancer than younger men.