Doctors issue skin cancer warning ahead of summer season
Doctors say staying in the shade, applying sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 30, wearing hats and covering up are the best ways to prevent it.
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May is skin cancer awareness month.
As the weather gets nicer, doctors are also issuing a warning about the illness. They say skin cancer can be curable if caught early.
Ultraviolet rays are the most common cause of skin cancer.
Doctors say staying in the shade, applying sunscreen with a minimum SPF of 30, wearing hats and covering up are the best ways to prevent skin cancer.
"Be smart when you go out, cover yourself if you can," says Bilal Farooqi, medical director of Hematology and Oncology at Good Samaritan Hospital. "About 20% of people before the age of 70 will have a diagnosis of skin cancer."
Doctors say people who are immunocompromised are at a greater risk.
"Anyone on medications that suppress your immune system or anyone with an autoimmune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus should also be extra cautious," says Farooqi.
For Monsey resident Michelle Firer, this time of year is sometimes a concern.
"I had a skin cancer and they removed it. Thank God there's no more problems with it," she says. "Very scary. It was on my back, so that wasn't much of a problem."
She now wants others to be careful, especially as the weather is getting nicer.
"Look and see if moles or whatever you have look weird and go to the doctor," she says.
The American Cancer Society reports that there will be over 4,000 new cases of melanoma of the skin in New York in 2025.
