Older Men and Skin Cancer

A recent study has been released outlining the risk factors of skin cancer for older men. Physicians are urging older men to take caution in their health and actively look after their skin and check for life threatening skin cancer - melanoma. In the United States alone there are over 60,000 melanoma cases each year, and of those nearly 9,000 will die. With numbers as astronomically high as that, it's no wonder dermatologists are recommending regular check-ups. Forbes said, "Detecting a melanoma early, while it is thin, is an essential first step in surviving the skin cancer, said Dr. June K. Robinson, editor of the journal and a professor of clinical dermatology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, who wrote an accompanying editorial. "The numbers are startling," she said. "If it is diagnosed at an early stage, the chance of survival is 90 percent. At a later stage, it is 20 percent." Of the cases, doctors say that, a large number of melanoma instances are found on the backs of men. A spot that we rarely thoroughly examine. So whether you do it yourself or you ask a loved one, it's also important to check your back, as we are constantly exposed to sunlight.