Melanoma Monday Skin Cancer Screenings Raise Awareness

DULUTH, Minn. — Every year, over a hundred thousand people get skin cancer. You could be one of them.

Essentia’s Melanoma Monday screenings took place May 13th to raise awareness about the most dangerous of all skin cancers. Chris Mitchell, who is responsible for screening and outreach says the cancer may start on the skin, but quickly can metastasize to other parts of the body. This is a particularly good time of year to begin discussions about skin protection and the importance of using sunscreen and hats just before summer. She says to stay vigilant about changes to your body.

“Look for changes in color, changes in shape, Things that suddenly appear that weren’t there before, or maybe are rapidly changing. Sometimes skin cancer will itch. Sometimes it will bleed. So, it is just important to check yourself out in the mirror,” said Chris Mitchell, Program Manager.

If you missed the event, any primary care doctor can do a skin screening as part of your general physical.