April 26, 2016
May is Melanoma Awareness Month, and doctors Aleksandra Brown and Chad Johnston are providing free skin cancer screenings in Roanoke and Christiansburg on May 6 and 13. “We see new cases of skin cancer in our office every day,” Johnston said.
“When skin cancer is found early and treated, the cure rate is nearly 100 percent,” Brown added. However, if allowed to grow, melanoma can spread quickly—with dangerous, and sometimes fatal, results.
One in five Americans will develop skin cancer over the course of their lifetimes, and more than 3 million people will be treated for skin cancer this year, according to studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
The signs of skin cancer can be subtle—a patch of dry, flaky skin that doesn’t seem to clear up, a mole that becomes bigger or itchy, or a sudden new growth. Skin cancer affects men and women of every age and skin tone.
People who have had several serious sunburns or have used tanning beds are considered at high risk, but some forms of skin cancer appear on parts of the body that are not often exposed to the sun.
“An initial screening takes just a few minutes,” Johnston said. “It gives us a sense of your skin’s overall health, and we can show you what to look for on a daily basis.”
Screenings are first come, first served and will be held in private rooms at each location. Participants can schedule follow-up appointments with the doctors on the spot.
Christiansburg skin cancer screening:
Friday, May 13
1-5 p.m.
Christiansburg Recreation Center
Roanoke skin cancer screening:
Friday, May 6
1-5 p.m.
Sweet Donkey Coffee House
www.sweetdonkeycoffee.com
Johnston and Brown are board-certified dermatologists at River Ridge Dermatology, caring for patients in Blacksburg, Narrows, and Roanoke, Virginia. Their practice offers comprehensive medical, surgical, and cosmetic dermatological services for adults and children.
