When Mika Stambaugh went to the dermatologist for a simple skin check, she didn’t expect to leave that appointment with a gaping hole in her face.
“Shocked. Shocked. I mean scared, like whoa,” the 43-year-old said of her emotions during what she thought would be a routine visit.
But the appointment actually marked the start of a months-long nightmare for Stambaugh.
“[The doctor] walked in the room. Within one minute he was like, ‘What’s that on your face?’ I was like ‘I don’t know. That’s what I’m here for.’ And he was like ‘I’m pretty sure that’s melanoma,'” Stambaugh said.
The Chicago woman’s story is one of survival — and serves as a warning for others on the damaging effects years of sun exposure can take.
“I love tanning. I love being tan,” Stambaugh told NBC Chicago. “I have sought after that glow for 30-plus years.”
But melanoma skin cancer were words Stambaugh never thought she’d hear, despite never wearing sunscreen.
After repeat visits to the dermatologist to remove even more tissue, Stambaugh is now cancer free. The hole in her face eventually stitched up more than a week later.
Doctors at Northwestern said it’s important to know who is most at risk for melanoma and what symptoms you should watch for. Early detection can be life-saving.
“People should look for a brown patch or a black patch or a gray patch that looks a little different than your other moles,” explained Dr. Murad Alam with Northwestern Medical Group Dermatology. “Fair skinned people get it more. Most importantly it’s blistering sun burns in childhood. As few as a single sunburn can cause you to get one several decades later.”
That’s why doctors recommend sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher.
Stambaugh is not only now cancer free, but healing well. This scar on her face serves as a way to educate others about the dangers of sun exposure and the need for proper sun protection, especially as summer approaches.
“I look in the mirror and I’m just grateful I don’t have cancer,” Stambaugh said. “For me it’s just…this is my journey.”
Stambaugh has teamed up with the Melanoma Research Foundation to raise money and awareness about the dangers of sun exposure. She’s also joined Rep. LaShawn Ford for a new statewide initiative called Mika’s Melanoma Monday, officially recognized annually on the first Monday in May, also known as Skin Cancer Awareness Month, to call for health care providers to promote early skin checks and education about melanoma.
What are the types of skin cancer?
Basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas are the most common forms of skin cancer and are highly treatable if detected early enough and given proper treatment, according to AAD.
The American Cancer Society reports that such cancers are most often found in areas exposed to the sun, like the head, neck and arms.
Most skin cancer deaths, however, are from melanoma, which is less commo, but it is more likely to grow and spread.
The American Cancer Society reports that while melanoma accounts for roughly 1% of skin cancer diagnoses, it causes a majority of skin cancer deaths. In 2022 alone, it is estimated that 7,650 people will die of melanoma, with just over 5,000 being men and more than 2,500 being women.
While the five-year survival rate for melanoma is 99% if it is diagnosed before it spreads to lymph nodes, that number drops to 68% once it spreads to lymph nodes, AAD reports. If it gets to other organs and even further lymph nodes, the number reaches just 30%.
How often should you get your skin checked?
According to Dr. Amy Derick, a dermatologist and Medical Director of Derick Dermatology, the answer depends on a variety of factors. Some things to consider include age, sun exposure, whether or not someone is immunocompromised, family history and more.
“I think that it’s based on individual risk factors. And so it would be prudent that you go to a dermatology office to have that discussed with each person individually,” she said. “It depends on your age, you know, your sun damage or cumulative sun damage too. People who are immunosuppressed or have weakened immune systems are more likely to get skin cancer and people who have a lot of moles or… if you’ve got a history of skin cancer before, you’re much more likely to get another skin cancer. And if you got a different skin cancer like basal cell, you’re also more likely to have melanoma.”
In Illinois, new legislation that took effect in 2020, requires health insurers to cover such examinations annually.
The legislation states that “an individual or group policy of accident and health insurance shall cover without imposing a deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or any other cost-sharing requirement upon the insured patient, one annual office visit” for a whole body skin examination for lesions suspicious for skin cancer.
“This is a benefit of many commercial insurance plans, where you can have a skin cancer screening with absolutely no out-of-pocket costs, no deductible, no co-pay, no co-insurance once a year,” Derick said.
What should you look for?
Experts say looking for changes or growths in anything on the skin is important.
“Cancers grow and change and a changing lesion is probably the highest risk factor for something that needs to be looked at, something that’s asymmetric and that’s very dark, something that came out of the blue and something that’s symptomatic bleeding or, you know, it just itches all the time or something like that – those sorts of things are important for you to take more seriously,” Derick said.
She added that skin cancer, particularly melanoma, can even develop on areas that aren’t often exposed to sun.
Here’s what the American Cancer Society says you should look for with each type of skin cancer:
Basal Cell
Flat, firm, pale or yellow areas, similar to a scar Raised reddish patches that might be itchy Small, pink or red, translucent, shiny, pearly bumps, which might have blue, brown, or black areas Pink growths with raised edges and a lower area in their center, which might contain abnormal blood vessels spreading out like the spokes of a wheel Open sores (which may have oozing or crusted areas) that don’t heal, or that heal and then come back Basal cell cancers are often fragile and might bleed after shaving or after a minor injury. Sometimes people go to the doctor because they have a sore or a cut from shaving that just won’t heal, which turns out to be a basal cell cancer. A simple rule of thumb is that most shaving cuts heal within a week or so.Squamous Cell
Rough or scaly red patches, which might crust or bleed Raised growths or lumps, sometimes with a lower area in the center Open sores (which may have oozing or crusted areas) that don’t heal, or that heal and then come back Wart-like growthsMelanoma
The most important warning sign of melanoma is a new spot on the skin or a spot that is changing in size, shape, or color. Another important sign is a spot that looks different from all of the other spots on your skin (known as the ugly duckling sign). The ABCDE rule is another guide to the usual signs of melanoma. Be on the lookout and tell your doctor about spots that have any of the following features: A is for Asymmetry: One half of a mole or birthmark does not match the other. B is for Border: The edges are irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred. C is for Color: The color is not the same all over and may include different shades of brown or black, or sometimes with patches of pink, red, white, or blue. D is for Diameter: The spot is larger than 6 millimeters across (about ¼ inch – the size of a pencil eraser), although melanomas can sometimes be smaller than this. E is for Evolving: The mole is changing in size, shape, or color. A sore that doesn’t heal Spread of pigment from the border of a spot into surrounding skin Redness or a new swelling beyond the border of the mole Change in sensation, such as itchiness, tenderness, or pain Change in the surface of a mole – scaliness, oozing, bleeding, or the appearance of a lump or bump Read More Details
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