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Love Your Lover's Skin, Screen For Cancer

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@tampatrib.com

Published: February 14, 2009

Candy, flowers and a romantic dinner may be great Valentine's Day gifts, but try screening your loved one for skin cancer.

The American Academy of Dermatology thinks today is the perfect time to "Screen the One You Love" for skin cancer, a disease expected to affect more than 1 million people in the United States in 2009.

"In my practice, oftentimes patients tell me that their partner urged them to get an unusual-looking mole checked - and in some cases these moles turn out to be skin cancer," says dermatologist and academy president C. William Hanke M.D.

A 2007 study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that people who are assisted by a partner in performing skin self-exams are more likely to follow a regular detection routine than those who rely solely on themselves for motivation. The academy says its Body Mole Map ( www.melanomamonday.org) provides information on how to perform a skin exam, images of the key signs of melanoma and space for people to track their moles to determine any changes over time.

Newswise

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