I am going to talk about feet today. But not perhaps what
you might expect.
Yes, I have talked several times about diabetes and feet. Today,
my foot thoughts are for everyone whether they are diabetic or not.
Things that surprised me about foot melanoma -
1.
It is the
most deadly form of melanoma. It is
deadly because it is so rarely caught before it has spread.
2.
You can get skin cancer under your nails. If you see a spot under your nail and it does not
grow with the nail, you need to go to the doctor right away. Women should make sure that they look at
their nails without polish so that they can see if there are any spots under
the nail.
3.
The bottoms
of your feet and between your toes are susceptible to skin cancer.
4.
Melanoma is not as common as other types of
cancer but its rates are increasing.
5.
One person dies of melanoma every 57 minutes.
You should do periodic self-exams for skin cancer. For
directions on how to do a self-exam, there are guidelines from the Skin Cancer Foundation.
When you go out, you should be applying sunscreen. Even if you
are just making a quick trip to the store. Always apply sunscreen and re-apply
it often especially when you are at the beach or pool. Don’t forget to apply it
to your feet – top and bottom.
And for goodness sake, don’t use tanning beds.
End of lecture for today.
Thanks for reading!
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