Melanoma is the most aggressive skin cancer. It may develop in any part of the body. Early diagnoses and timely interventions are paramount. However, melanoma often gets pinpointed when it is in an advanced stage, diminishing healing chances.
It is important to undergo periodic examinations, as Professor Antonio Costanzo, Dermatology Supervisor at Humanitas, said in a recent interview.
“Starting during adolescence, everyone should check once a year their old and new moles. These are the spots where most melanomas develop. When you notice that a mole has changed in shape and/or color, has irregular margins, grows very fast, or if brown spots appear on skin or genital mucosa, then you should immediately go to a dermatologist to pinpoint melanomas or other dangerous lesions in their early onset”.
The importance of prevention
The bearing of melanoma relates to sunburns. Thus, it is important to go in the sun with caution, using the right protective products for each skin type. Pay special attention to infants and kids.
“It is scientifically proven that sunburns during infancy and adolescence, predispose people to skin melanoma.
It is recommended, that children are exposed with great caution to summer sunlight, both at the beach and in the mountains. Moreover, infants have to wear a white t-shirt to protect their back and chest. It is also possible to purchase colored full-spectrum sunscreen creams for kids. This coloration is usually very light and it avoids the “white effect” created by titanium dioxide, one of the main shielding factors in sunscreens for kids”.
Other prevention rules are: avoid exposure to sunlight in the middle of the day and also, avoid artificial sunbathing (sunbeds, sunlamps and similar devices).
