Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 14, MAY 10, 2010, THE ISLANDER
VJ
EA
,News to t He(v
Skin cancer awareness - Know your risk
By Dr. Lawrence G. Blasik, Jr.
May is national skin cancer aware
ness month and there are some impor
tant ways you can protect yourself and
your family with early detection and
by taking preventative
measures.
Skin cancer is the
most common form of
cancer in the United
States, with more than
3.5 million people diag
nosed annually. Fifty
percent of Americans
who live to age 65 will
have skin cancer at
least once.
Early protection
against ultraviolet light
with appropriate sun
screen on all children
and adults will help to
decrease the alarming
Jr
Lawrence
invade local tissue and become very
destructive. There is also a risk of
spread to other areas.
Malignant melanoma is the third
type and the number
of reported cases is def
initely on the rise. This
is the most deadly form
and it is projected that
100,000 people will die
of melanoma annually.
This cancer begins in
the melanocytes, which
are the cells that make
pigment. It may begin
near a mole which
results in the "chang
es" a trained derma
tologist will notice and
biopsy. Early detection
is imperative.
We live in a beauti-
Blasik,
increase in new cases, which has risen
to 3 million people being diagnosed
annually in 2009.
Other risk factors are family his
tory, tanning beds, repeated medical
or industrial exposure as well as occu
pational exposure to compounds such
as coal and arsenic. Those individuals
on immunosuppressive medications or
those who have been burned previously
are at higher risk.
Tanning beds were once thought
to be a more "healthy" way of tanning
because of less burning of the skin.
Recent studies show this is totally
false. Ultraviolet radiation is a proven
human carcinogen stated by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human
Services.
The UVA rays of tanning beds pen
etrate deeper in the skin, therefore
causing as much as 12 times the annu
al UVA dose compared to the dose you
would receive from normal sunlight.
A recent study also showed that your
risk of melanoma increases by 75% if
you are exposed to tanning beds before
age 35.
It is highly recommended for peo
ple using tanning beds and unpro
tected sun exposure to have annual
skin exams. Warning signs include
any lesion that itches, stings, burns, is
tender or will not heal.
Other significant changes include:
irregular border, change in color of the
lesion or an increasing diameter. One
person dies from melanoma almost
every 62 minutes, early detection is key
with a cure rate of 99%.
Basal cell carcinoma is the most
common type of skin cancer. It rarely
metastasizes or kills you. It can cause
significant destruction and disfigure
ment by invading surrounding tissue.
Approximately 3 out of 10 people devel
op a basal cell within their lifetime.
Bleeding and crusting are common in
these lesions.
Squamous cell cancers are the sec
ond most common form rarely seen in
people of dark complexion. Common
areas at risk are the rims of ears, nose
and face. The initial appearance might
be a red scaly patch. These lesions can
fill coastal area where we spend time
involved in outdoor activities including
fishing, boating, water skiing, scuba
diving, cycling, and kayaking to name
a few.
Summit Dermatology and Laser
Center is available for all of your skin
care needs. Make the call to schedule
your annual skin exam today.
Aso, come check out our new sun
center. We provide a variety of stylish
sun protective (UV) hats and cloth
ing for men, women and children. We
offer the most complete sunscreen with
UVA, UVB protection and zinc oxide
allowing you and your family many
safe horn’s for your activities in the
sun.
Call Summit Dermatology and
Laser Center today at 912-262-1801 or
visit www.srnnmitderm.com. □
Chiropractor relocates to St. Simons
Recently Dr. Joseph Druda relocated
his chiropractic practice from Norcross
to St. Simons Island.
His focus is chiropractic treatment as
well as physical rehabilitation. "I offer
my patients health
care without invasive
procedures or drugs,"
Dr. Druda said.
Specializing in non-
surgical pain relief,
Dr. Druda has over
10 years of clinical
experience including
working with patients
who have received
physical and spinal
trauma from severe
auto accidents.
He has been invit
ed to perform employ
ee health screenings Dr. J° se Ph
by some of Georgia’s top companies,
including Digital Insight, Choate Con
struction, and the City of Norcross.
Dr. Druda will tailor a health screen
ing to the specific company. Areas
included in a screening are spinal
screening, nutrition analysis, body fat
analysis, massage therapy, ergonom
ics, and speaking with employees on a
one on one basis.
He graduated from Ramapo College
of New Jersey in 1994
and after a year and a
half in downtown Man
hattan in the investment
world, he decided to make
a change.
"My father had sug
gested chiropractic to me
years before and I began
to realize he was right,"
Dr. Druda said.
He graduated from
Life University in Mariet
ta and opened a practice
in Norcross. After visit
ing the Golden Isles for
Druda several years, Dr. Druda
and his family relocated to St. Simons
Island. His practice, Southern Spine
and Rehab, is currently located inside
Island Chiropractic and Wellness at
132 Retreat Plaza, St. Simons Island,
(912) 399-8860. □
woman to woman.
As a woman, you have special needs and concerns that only you - or another
woman - can appreciate. Dr Diane Bowen and her team at Golden Isles Center
for Plastic Surgery understand this, and are dedicated to providing the special care
and attention you need.
Dr Bowen has more than I I years of experience in breast reconstruction,
reduction and enhancement techniques, including completion of a breast
fellowship at Georgetown University. She and her team offer the skills,
perspective and sensitivity to restore what illness has taken away, or to
improve upon what’s already there. All within the privacy of a fully
licensed and accredited surgical facility.
Don’t trust your treatment to just anyone. Call Golden Isles Center
for Plastic Surgery at 9 I 2-634-6030 to schedule your personal
consultation. We understand.
a ^LOoiLl Nhf
—'Ceivterpor
PlaSTIC/^URGERY PC
Di-m ; G. MD
1015 Arthur J. Moore Drive St. Simons Island, GA 31522 www.drdianebowen.com
A member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Dr. Diane Bowen has completed
fellowships in breast reconstruction and cosmetic surgery, and in pediatric plastic surgery.
She and her team are devoted to using modern techniques and technology to restore to
people the beauty and function that time, trauma and disease have taken.
mm it
Dermatology&
Laser Center
1111 Glynco Parkway, Building 1, Suite 20
Brunswick, Georgia
Phone (912) 262 - 1801 www.summitderm.com