Sun Safety

May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and the team at Dermatology Specialists is committed to helping you learn more about the harmful effects of sun exposure. The educated staff knows prevention and early detection are key, and they’re dedicated to informing patients of the steps they can take to protect their skin. To serve the community, Dermatology Specialists will provide free skin cancer screenings throughout the month of May. The screenings are part of their mission to stress the importance of early detection.

“Our skin is the barrier between us and the outside world,” says Dr. Kaisa van der Kooi, a board-certified dermatologist with Dermatology Specialists. “Everyone needs to be paying attention to their skin.”

Dr. van der Kooi encourages her patients to know their personal risk of developing skin cancer. The greatest risk factors are having already been diagnosed with skin cancer and having a family history of skin cancer.

Living in Northwest Florida also presents as a risk factor. The area has a beautiful and temperate climate year-round making skin vulnerable to daily sun exposure. Dr. van der Kooi recommends people of all skin types apply sunscreen to exposed skin every morning—even if you don’t plan to go outdoors. “You can do a lot of damage in just a couple of minutes in Florida – even just walking to your mailbox or driving to the grocery store,” she says.

Kaisa van der Kooi, MD, FAAD, FASDP, Board-Certified Dermatologist, Board-Certified and Fellowship-Trained Mohs Surgeon, Board-Certified Dermatopathologist

When it comes to protection, van der Kooi says the best sunscreen is the one you will consistently use.

“Use what you like because if you don’t like it, you’re not going to use it,” she says. “And it will do you no good sitting in a tube on your shelf.”

She recommends monthly self-checks to areas of the body that are regularly exposed to the sun and areas where skin cancers commonly appear such as the head, neck and back of the hands. The most common skin cancer is basal cell carcinoma and often presents as a pink blemish, much like a pimple.

“But unlike a pimple that would be gone in two to three weeks, skin cancer just sits there and typically doubles in size every three to six months,” van der Kooi says.
“Then the next most common form is squamous cell skin cancer which feels rough to the touch, and can hurt.”

Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is highly treatable when detected early. To screen for melanoma, look for the ABCDEs — spots with asymmetry, irregular borders, color, diameter the size of a pencil eraser, and those evolving in size, shape, or color.

“Ideally, you want to have a worrisome lesion evaluated within a month,” van der Kooi says. “Go get screened, and get a baseline established. Even if it ends up being a false alarm, we’d rather you come in than present with an advanced skin cancer.”

DERMATOLOGY SPECIALISTS OF FLORIDA & AQUA MEDICAL SPA
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