Melanoma
by Felicia McSweeney
What is Melanoma?
Systems affected by Melanoma
Target population
How Melanoma affects the body system
Melanoma does not really have symptoms, and that is why it can be deadly. It spreads fast and if you don't know that you have it then it can get to another part of the body and from there it will get much worse.
Below is an image showing what Melanoma looks like.
Causes of Melanoma
Excessive tanning
Tanning beds
Sun exposure
Not using sunscreen
Having a family history of melanoma
- Having low amounts of melanin in your skin (being pale), having a lot of freckles
Statistics
It is estimated that one in five americans will get melanoma in their life.
Melanoma cases have been increasing for the past 30 years.
80 year old men are 3 times more likely to get melanoma than women.
If treated early enough before it has spread, the survival rate is 98%
- In females and males, melanoma is most common in white people. In fact, white people are 24 times more likely to get melanoma than black people.
Diagnosis
Treatment
How to prevent Melanoma
Wear sunscreen
Protect your skin from the sun
Do not use tanning beds
Don’t expose your skin to UV rays for long periods of time (avoid sun exposure)
The best way to prevent melanoma is protecting your skin from ultraviolet rays. Exposure to the sun’s rays is the one of the most common way to get melanoma. A very easy way to prevent getting bad melanoma is to regularly check your skin for moles. If one looks odd (big and misshapen, dark red/brown/black), immediately get it checked. Melanoma spreads fast but if it is treated early enough there is a very high chance that you will live.