As we speed toward the end of another year, you probably have a lot on your to-do list: Holiday party preparations, a present that your aunt might actually like, final contributions to your IRA, travel plans, and so many other things. As you make your list and check it multiple times, don’t forget yourself! Your health matters because you matter. And overall health starts with your skin, your body’s largest organ. That crucial skin barrier is your immune system’s first line of defense, so you’ve got to take good care of it.
So, schedule your annual skin check at Apex Skin before the year runs out! In addition to screening for skin cancer, your dermatologist will skillfully examine all your skin to be sure that it’s healthy, that any chronic conditions are well managed, and that any suspicious spots are caught before they turn into something dangerous like skin cancer. An annual skin cancer screening can provide early detection of melanoma skin cancer (or any other type of skin cancer) so that prompt treatment can give you up to a 99 percent survival rate!
Today, our highly skilled and experienced dermatologist Dr. Olivia Arballo, who works in Apex Skin’s Mentor office, joins us to discuss the importance of annual screening for skin cancer, and why now is an excellent time to schedule that potentially life-saving appointment. She has helped hundreds of patients overcome skin cancer through early detection, and go on to live healthy, happy lives!
Dermatology and Skin Health: Not Just a Luxury
The notion that skin health is just “skin deep” is one of the least helpful, most inaccurate sayings in medicine. “Certain skin conditions cause body-wide inflammation,” explains Dr. Arballo. “Improving skin appearance can also benefit mental health, which has a major impact on overall well-being. Certain cancers can also spread to other parts of the body and are potentially deadly, like melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma.”
At least 163.5 million people in America suffer from some kind of skin condition that impacts their daily lives. This includes conditions such as acne, atopic dermatitis, alopecia (hair loss), psoriasis, rosacea, fungal infections, and more. That doesn’t even include the one in five people who will develop skin cancer sometime during their lives.
Prevention and Detection
All these conditions can cause discomfort, lead to emotional distress, and indicate chronic inflammation. Some can even become deadly. The skin often mirrors what’s happening on the inside, which makes an annual skin check crucial to overall health and well-being.
Through these skin checker appointments, your dermatologist can:
- Prevent, detect, and manage skin health concerns, and play an important role in identifying potentially deeper conditions that require urgent care.
- Help you look and feel more comfortable with your body’s largest organ for an enjoyable quality of life and good mental health.
Dermatology: Beyond Aesthetics
Yes, dermatology can help with cosmetic concerns like minimizing acne scarring, smoothing out wrinkles with a good chemical peel or laser treatment, and even helping you minimize stubborn abominable fat patches. The most critical role your dermatologist plays, however, is ensuring that your skin is the healthiest it can be so that you are as healthy from the outside in. Your annual skin cancer screening is an essential part of your overall healthcare.
The Urgency of an Annual Skin Check
The main point of these regular skin checker appointments with your dermatologist is to monitor any spots, skin growths, moles, or changes that could indicate potentially perilous problems before they become dangerous. Although your dermatologist will monitor, note, and advise on any other skin conditions discovered, the real point is that this is a life-saving skin cancer screening. There are several different types of skin cancer, each one looking a little different, but each one has the potential to become deadly. Skin cancer is the most common kind of cancer in the United States, and every day, about 9,500 people receive a skin cancer diagnosis.
Early Detection of Melanoma Skin Cancer Saves Lives
Skin cancer statistics are pretty clear: early detection saves lives. The 5-year survivability rate for localized (a spot that has not spread anywhere else) skin cancer is about 99 percent, which is great for any kind of cancer! The later skin cancer is detected, however, the wider it can spread, the harder it is to treat, and the lower the survivability rate:
- Regional spread (cancer has spread beyond the skin to nearby tissues or lymph nodes): 74 percent.
- Distant spread (cancer has spread to organs like the liver or lungs): 35 percent
But those aren’t the only skin cancer statistics you don’t want to become part of: One out of every five people in the United States will experience some kind of skin cancer by age 70, and more than two people die every hour from skin cancer. If you’ve experienced five or more sunburns in your life, your risk for melanoma, the most deadly kind of skin cancer, doubles.
As Dr. Arballo explains, you should never be afraid of screening for skin cancer—you should be afraid of not detecting and treating it soon enough. Your dermatologist can help you stay on the good side of those numbers.
“We can catch cancers early on, and before they spread,” she urges. “This will make them easier to treat, and the scarring will be less noticeable.”
As a dermatologist, Dr. Arballo often finds lesions that patients don’t see, notice, or think are serious that actually do turn out to be suspicious. Regular screening for skin cancer can increase your odds of survival significantly.
Dermatologists Monitor Skin Changes
The annual skin check is an especially helpful tool in tracking how spots, moles, skin growths and other skin conditions change and morph over time. These changes are what clue us into potential skin cancer development. Patients should always be on the lookout for moles or spots that show suspicious “ABCDE” signs:
- Asymmetry—One side of the spot is different from the other side.
- Border—The edge of the spot is fuzzy, scalloped, or otherwise ill-defined from the surrounding skin.
- Color—The spot has changed color, or displays more than one color (varying degrees of tan, brown, red, black, white, or even blue)
- Diameter—The spot has grown in size (especially if it is bigger than a pencil eraser)
- Evolving—Any spot that has changed in any of these ways
“We look closely at any new spots that are growing, changing, or bleeding without trauma… anything that is evolving,” explains Dr. Arballo. “Some older patients might have newly painful or itchy spots that we have to keep an eye on.”
Older patients especially need the help of these annual skin cancer screening appointments because sun damage accumulates, as Dr. Arballo explains. “Incidents of precancerous detection may be higher with more cumulative sun exposure and skin damage.”
Also, remember that if you notice any changes in a spot between annual skin check appointments, we urgently invite you to schedule a same-day SPOT check appointment. You should never wait if you feel that any spot has shown any of the ABCDEs above, or the spot hurts or itches. We will be happy to look at it right away!
Catching and Managing Other Skin Conditions
In addition to staying ahead of potential skin cancer spots, you may also be experiencing other serious skin conditions that require ongoing treatment and management. Regular dermatology check-ups can help you have better outcomes, fewer complications like infections, and a more comfortable quality of life.
“What’s unique about Apex Skin is we have multiple groups that can help you achieve your skincare goals,” says Dr. Arballo. “You can participate in clinical research trials or explore our aesthetic offerings. Ultimately, having an annual skin check keeps you on pace to maintain healthy skin and achieve all your skincare goals.”
Speaking of research trials, Apex Clinical Research Center is currently working on clinical trials and additional research to help find better, longer-term, more effective treatments for a wide range of troublesome skin conditions including:
- Eczema
- Psoriasis
- Alopecia Areata
- Gorlin Syndrome
- Hidradenitis Suppurativa
- And more!
If you are experiencing any uncomfortable skin condition that damages your quality of life, your confidence, or your comfort, do not hesitate to schedule an appointment.
Why Schedule Your Annual Skin Check Now?
At the beginning, we said that now is the best time to schedule your annual skin check. But why did we say that? Sure, it’s not the only time of the year you could have your skin checker appointment, but Dr. Arballo reminds us of one important thing:
“One reason some people might like going at the end of the year is that they may have hit their deductible on insurance, and it’s good to know before any future vacations!”
Aside from this important financial aspect of scheduling your annual screening for skin cancer and other skin conditions, the end of the year is a great time to reflect and reset your health and wellness goals and plan for the upcoming year. It’s a great time to look back and see how you took care of your skin this year, get an update on your skin health from a professional, and set new goals, like wearing better sunscreen, or moisturizing more diligently. This is also a time of the year when your skin undergoes significant changes from winter weather and holiday stress! Getting your dermatologist on board can keep your skin healthier and happier in the upcoming year and give you peace of mind that everything is clear and going well for your skin, or that you are getting prompt treatment if there are problems.
What to Expect from a Skin Check
So, let’s talk about what you can expect during a full-body skin check. Dr. Arballo explains the process:
- You’ll first schedule an appointment at the Apex Skin location most convenient for you.
- On the day of your appointment, you’ll check in and meet with your medical assistant who will take you to a comfortable, private room where you can prepare.
- You’ll undress to your comfort level (keep undergarments on but remove the bra). “We want to be able to check every area of skin, if possible,” says Dr. Arballo. Skin cancer can even happen in covered areas. We’ll provide a gown to keep you covered through most of the exam.”
- Your provider will look at each area of your skin carefully and let you know of any areas of concern. Any suspicious lesions may be biopsied and sent to our lab for immediate diagnosis.
- Your provider will also ask you several questions to get a clearer idea of your skin health and skincare routine so we can be aware of any potential problems. Some of these questions include:
- Do you wear sunscreen?
- Where did you grow up? (Sun exposure risk)
- What are your hobbies? (Outdoor activities like golf, boating, skiing, running, etc. mean more sun exposure.)
- Do you have a family history of skin cancer? (Genetics can play a role.)
- History of specific spots and lesions: How long have they been there? Have you noticed any changes? Are they painful or itchy?
- Your provider will also use special tools and technologies to examine and measure spots, including:
- A dermatoscope skin checker and special lighting for a detailed, magnified, professional view of spots and lesions.
- A ruler to measure spot sizes.
- If we need to perform a biopsy, we will mark the area with a surgical marker, which may take a couple of days to wash off.
- We also photograph lesions to be biopsied.
Skin Myths Often Busted at Annual Skin Health Screening Appointments
One of the most important things we do at an annual skin check is provide important education and debunk skin health myths that can lead to skin damage if not corrected. The biggest skin misconceptions are usually about sun exposure.
“People think that because they didn’t use sunscreen when they were younger, it doesn’t matter that they use it now,” says Dr. Arballo. “It’s important to think about cumulative sun damage over time. Sun damage not only causes skin cancer but also skin thinning and premature aging. For example, we see people with easy bruising on their arms because of sun overexposure.”
In other words, it’s never too early or too late to start applying good sunscreen on all skin exposed to the sun. Do it now!
Dr. Arballo mentions two other common misconceptions:
“One major misconception is that there is no UV exposure in the winter. There is! UV light comes through the clouds and reflects off the snow, so wear that sunscreen even if you’re skiing!” Urges Dr. Arballo. “Also, people with darker skin need to wear sunscreen too. We all do! They also need to get skin checks.”
The Long-Term Benefits of Annual Skin Checks
There are so many long-term benefits of annual skin checks. The biggest one is probably peace of mind, knowing that your skin is being monitored by a professional and that if any problems arise, they can be caught and treated quickly for the best outcome.
You’ll also experience the comfort and radiance of healthier skin as you work together with your dermatologist over time to address any skin problems that arise with appropriate skincare routines and treatments, lifestyle adjustments, sun protection, and the professional support of someone who understands your unique skin condition and needs.
And that’s really what it comes down to: Personalized care that works for you.
Schedule Your Annual Skin Check Today
Ready to schedule your skin check? Schedule an appointment with Dr. Olivia Arballo in our Mentor Office. She’s fantastic at what she does and she’d love to meet with you. If if that location is out of the way, for your convenience, Apex Skin has 13 other full-service dermatology locations across Northeast Ohio, so you can easily find a location close to you and get your skin health on schedule, even during this busy time of year! Your skin is such an important part of your overall health, and you deserve to make time for this important self-care necessity today.
Dr. Arballo is a board-certified dermatologist practicing at Apex Skin Mentor office. She was born and raised in Chagrin Falls, OH and completed undergraduate studies at Miami University of Ohio majoring in Zoology and minoring in Spanish. She then attended medical school in Erie, PA at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine where she was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army. Dr. Arballo completed dermatology residency at San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium in San Antonio, TX. During residency, she was a Women’s Dermatologic Society mentorship grant recipient, performed research, lectured at the local and national levels, and was published in several well-recognized dermatology journals.
