Skin care crucial as summer approaches

The screenings are available between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Holly Avey, a Campus Health educator, said the screenings are taking place as summer approaches and skin care becomes a more relevant issue.

"As the weather starts to get warmer, people get more sun exposure and the sun is more intense, making it more likely that skin damage will occur," she said.

Screenings are on a first-come, first-served basis, Avey said. She said participants will receive a free sample of sunblock and a coupon for sunblock at the Campus Health pharmacy.

The screenings will be performed by four health care providers including one from Campus Health and three from the University Medical Center, Avey said. She said the providers will be looking for unusual moles, changes in the skin and skin discolorations.

One of the participating doctors will be Nancy Silvis, a dermatologist at UMC and a professor of dermatology in the College of Medicine.

Silvis said there are two groups of skin cancers, melanoma and non-melanoma.

"Most skin cancers are non-melanoma, and people need to look for flesh-colored bumps or pink or reddish bumps that do not go away within three weeks," she said.

These bumps might bleed and crust over like normal skin, but they will keep recurring, Silvis said. She said melanoma cancers will be signaled by brown or black spots that are larger than an eraser on a pencil.

The important body areas that should be checked are the head, neck, shoulders, arms and legs, Silvis said.

"People need to protect themselves from ultraviolet rays, which are present in natural sunlight and tanning beds, so I recommend no tanning beds," she said.

Silvis said important steps to protect oneself from the sun include wearing a hat, long sleeves and pants as well as limiting outdoor activities between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., when the sun is most intense. She also said people should always wear a sunscreen with a sun protection factor of more than 15.

"People don't know that it actually makes a big difference," she said.

Avey said participants today should wear loose clothing or a bathing suit. They will be taken to a semi-private area to be checked all over.