Read More Q: I am a little nervous about Mohs surgery for a skin cancer on my face. Will I have a big, ugly scar? Hooman Khorasani, MD: I spend about 50 percent of my time doing Mohs surgery, and I am careful to reassure scpatients as well as manage their expectations. Most cases are basal cell carcinomas (BCC) and …

Read More Josh Paschal, a University of Kentucky defensive lineman, saw something on the bottom of his foot and said something. He didn’t let his aggressive, rare type of melanoma bench him for good. With lots of support from his teams (medical and football), he tackled his grueling treatments like a warrior and fought his way back onto the playing …

Read More Pediatric melanomas are rare and usually different from adult cases. Now St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has established a genetics registry to learn more about them. By Sarah Elizabeth Richards When Jesica Dunavent took her 4-month-old daughter, Addison, to her pediatrician for a checkup, she asked him about a little raised red spot on the infant’s left arm …

Read More Passion for the great outdoors has been both a blessing and a curse for Leo J. McCarthy, MD. Nature has given him so much that is positive, but the sun exposure led to many skin cancers, too. By Elizabeth Sutton, MD, and C. William Hanke, MD, MPH Nature was Leo McCarthy’s playground during his childhood in the Midwest, …

Read More Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common skin cancer, yet extremely rare in children and teens. But it can happen, as Laura Anne Page discovered when she was just 16 years old. In November 2020, Laura Anne was living her best life. She enjoyed high school, going out to eat with friends and family, singing in the …

Read More Q: I’ve heard of people who put off surgery for years; do I have to get my skin cancer treated right away? William Hanke, MD, MPH: Most of the time, skin cancers are caught early, when they are relatively small, and are treated with outpatient surgery, such as Mohs micrographic surgery. But sometimes they can grow to become …

Read More Rethinking the Alphabet: Some experts believe “dark” may be an even more important warning sign of melanoma than “diameter” and deserves more awareness. Q: One of my favorite tools on The Skin Cancer Foundation website is the “ABCDEs of melanoma.” Recently I noticed that under “D” you now include, in addition to “diameter,” a second warning sign for …

Read More We all know that nature nurtures us. Scientific studies confirm there are benefits when you step onto a forest trail, hear a breeze rustle the leaves, touch the roughness of bark and smell the scent of pine needles and wildflowers. So what’s stopping you? Just don’t forget the sun protection! If a friend asked what helped you most …

Read More  By Jen Singer Skin cancers don’t all look alike. You can study the warning signs for the three most common types, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma, on The Skin Cancer Foundation website. But occasionally a skin cancer develops that may seem like it’s something else that’s not a big deal. Early detection of skin cancer …