GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — We like to joke about it always being winter in Minnesota, but did you know our state is in the top three in the country for cases of Melanoma?
And it can happen to anyone, at any age. Just ask Taylor Runket.
“It was incredibly shocking,” she recalls.
At age 24, Taylor was enjoying life, having fun, hanging with friends.
You know, what 24-year-olds do.
"I all of a sudden noticed I had to start shaving around this mole on my calf,” Runkel recalls.
A tiny change in her skin suddenly made a big change in her world.
“Two weeks later, after I got the mole shaved off, they called me and said this is Melanoma, that is a form of skin cancer, and your mind just goes blank,” she says.
Taylor had stage three Melanoma. Her next stop was surgery.
“They put that full-thickness skin graft in my calf, using skin from my thigh, and so I have about an 8-inch scar in my thigh, right in my groin, and that kind of tennis-ball size chunk of my calf that has been sewn back in,” Taylor says.
How could this happen... At 24, no less?
"I was somebody who would go into a tanning bed before prom, before a spring break trip, to get that base tan. And now I know that base tan is a complete lie. Any type of tan like that is damaging your skin cells,” Taylor explains.
She's right. There is absolutely no such thing as a base tan.
“Any darkening of the skin indicates that DNA damage. It's your DNA protecting itself that's making that color,” says Dr. Mohiba Tareen of Tareen Dermatology.
Dr. Tareen says even one trip to the tanning bed can increase your risk of melanoma by 30%. One in 58 people in this country will develop a melanoma in their lifetime. And one person every hour dies from Melanoma in America.
And to think...it can be prevented.
“The American Academy of Dermatology recommends SPF 30 and above. SPF 30 has been shown to block about 97% of UV rays,” says Dr. Tareen.
“Remember your part, remember your ears, remember the tips of your nose, and lips, and your hands and feet. And we really do see a lot of skin cancers because people forget those areas,” she adds.
When it comes to noticing differences in moles on your skin, a potential sign of melanoma, Doctor Tareen recommends paying attention to the A, B, C, D, E method.
A= Asymmetry
B= Irregular Borders
C= Color (different colors or very, very dark in color)
D= Diameter (bigger than a pencil eraser)
E= Evolution (that it is growing or changing)
Sun protective clothing is also great, because unlike sunscreen there's no need to reapply. And when it can save your life, it seems like a no-brainer.
“Unfortunately, we just don't know what will happen 10, 20 years down the line. For me it was only five years,” says Runkel.
Minnesota based Coolibar makes sun protective clothing. They are donating 100% of the proceeds from their “This is Brave” line to the Melanoma Research Foundation.
To learn more about melanoma and how to avoid it, check out the Melanoma Research Alliance website.