"What you need to know about skin cancer, and how to protect yourself" -Barbara Saick
One in five people will develop skin cancer during their lifetime. About eight in 10 of those cancers will be basal cell carcinomas (BCC); fewer will be squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). Melanoma makes up only about 1 percent of skin cancers, but it's the most serious and, if not caught early, the deadliest. Alexis says melanomas often arise from abnormal moles but can also develop on their own (independent of moles). They can appear under fingernails and toenails, where they can look like bruises that won't heal or irregularly shaped dark streaks. He advises patients to look for warning signs known as the ABCDEs: asymmetry, borders, color, diameter, and evolving.
- Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, The Skin of Color Center at Mount Sinai, Site Chair, Department of Dermatology, Mount Sinai St. Luke’s-Mount Sinai West