COLORADO SPRINGS — "It's absolutely a fate story," Kent Mcdowell says the chance encounter with a local dermatologist saved his life.
Kent attended a movie screening hosted by Vanguard Skin Specialist over a year ago. At the screening, Dr. Vinh Chung met Kent for the first time and was immediately concerned about a mole he saw on his skin. Dr. Chung spoke up thanks to an innate sense, “As a trained dermatologist I can't turn away. It’s like a bomb-sniffing dog. You don’t turn it off it’s always on."
The brown spot on Kent's face turned out to be melanoma, one of the fastest-moving and deadliest types of skin cancers. It was in the midst of his wedding week when the news hit, Kent said he and his wife were left on edge, “At that point, we didn’t know if it had spread to my bones. It was very scary." He quickly made it in to see Dr. Chung and his team of pathologists and plastic surgeons at Vanguard.
The cancer had not spread and for Dr. Chung, it's why he does what he does,"This is one of the most satisfying moments we have as doctors. We entered our careers so that we could impact people's lives, and in this case, it was just so simple.”
With over 5 million cases diagnosed in the U.S. each year, skin cancer is America's most common cancer. It is also highly curable if caught early. Coloradoans are even more susceptible. “Here in Colorado we have one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the country because we are 1 mile up so we are that much closer to the sun and will get that much more UV,” Dr. Chung recommends hiking, biking, and being outdoors before 10 am or after 2 pm when our Colorado sunshine isn’t so intense.
To protect your skin from the sun it is recommended to wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen, which provides UVA and UVB protection, and an SPF rating of at least 30. You can reduce your risk of sun damage and skin cancer by staying in the shade under an umbrella, tree, or other shelter. For the most protection, wear a hat that has a brim all the way around that shades your face, ears, and the back of your neck. When possible, wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants and skirts, which can provide protection from UV rays.
Dr. Chung tries to keep the signs to look for simple a mole that changes rapidly or one that won’t heal. Those need to be checked.
ABCDE’s of melanoma:
- A is for Asymmetry. It doesn’t resemble a circle
- B is for Border. It’s a warning sign if the border of the mole is undefined and fuzzy.
- C is for Color. A typical mole tends to be evenly colored, usually a single shade of brown. A cancerous spot may not be the same color all over.
- D is for Diameter. It may be a warning sign if it’s larger than 1/4 inch across, which is about the size of a pencil eraser.
- E is for Evolving. Spots due to melanoma may grow or change color or shape.
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