If you or a loved one has been prescribed hydrochlorothiazide, you may want to be extra vigilant about checking for skin changes. That’s because long-term use of this common diuretic has been previously linked to lip and non-melanoma cancers, but a new study may also extend those increased risks to melanoma. “We have recently shown that hydrochlorothiazide use increases the… Read more »
So there’s an article released yesterday that basically says that if you have a pigmented lesion in your iris (the colored part of your eye), you have an increased likelihood of developing melanoma. I wanted to run to the mirror and stare at my irises but because I am at work, I figured I would avoid the awkward conversation in… Read more »
I just read an interesting article regarding how early should you think about protecting your skin from the sun. Now, I have some issues with the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force for their lack of recommending annual skin exams; but this time, they are recommending physicians talk to parents of young, fair-skinned children even earlier than previously recommended. Want to know… Read more »
I just read a discouraging article that notes that patients with darker skin tones have a much worse chance of their melanoma becoming fatal. The article references a study performed by Case Western Reserve University (incidentally close to my hometown in Ohio and a very well-respected institution) that found that patients with black skin had the worst survival rates for melanoma…. Read more »
There was a recent article on msn.com that talked about myths regarding sun exposure. Although we may think we know everything there is to know about protecting yourself from harmful sun exposure, it’s still good to have a reminder. Let’s start with the first, and to my mind, obvious. How many of you remember trying to get a base tan… Read more »
Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (knowns as the CDC, a U.S. national public health institute) conducted a survey on sunscreen usage. The results were alarming, especially for someone who has battled melanoma and would hate to see anyone else have to go through the process. Only 14.3% of men and 29.9% of women reported regularly using… Read more »
It’s June, and here in Austin, that means that the summer time temperatures are climbing. We had a lot of rain over the past few weeks; but the forecast for the next 15 days are full of sun icons and 90 degree temperatures. As I walked to work today, I suddenly realized that I did not remember to put sunscreen… Read more »
I was clicking around on the internet and was on a story that talked about how cheap drugstore brands are more effective at helping aging skin look younger than the expensive skin care lotions (don’t judge, you know you want to read that article too), when I saw a sidebar with the story headline “Surprising Causes of Skin Cancer“. Of course,… Read more »
My blog received a follow from a fellow blogger, Mississippi Meow who writes the Chronicles of Nowhereland. Of course, I check out everyone else’s blogs because – let’s face it, I’m curious about other people, and particularly those who find their way to my little spot in the interwebs. What motivates them to learn more about pink melanoma? Like I… Read more »
A sobering report from the Cleveland Clinic has found that melanoma is five times more deadly for women who are pregnant or had given birth within the year. “We saw significant, worse prognoses and outcomes for women with a pregnancy-associated melanoma, compared to a control group of non-pregnant women,” stated primary author and plastic surgeon Brian Gastman. Obviously, the female human… Read more »