The Sun, the Surf, and Your Feet

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!