Skin cancer.

Dear Dr. Jen,

My father was recently diagnosed with skin cancer. I have some suspicious spots on my arms that I am starting to worry about.  At what age should I start worrying about skin cancer?  Does it run in families?

Nolan

Dear Nolan,

Skin cancers can run in families.  Other factors that you can also take into consideration include history of sunburns you have had, as well as skin type.  Generally, the lighter your skin is, the more prone to sun damage (that may or may not lead to skin cancer) you can get.

Skin cancer may develop in people as young as in their 30s, again depending on skin type and the sun exposure you may have had.  Redheads and people who freckle are actually at a greater risk.

 Suspicious lesions start off as damaged skin.  This can look like scaly, skin-colored or reddish bumps on the skin.  More commonly, it is seen on sun-exposed areas like the face, neck, scalp, ears, arms and lower legs. It is called actinic keratosis and can be dealt with through several methods.  Cautery, freezing with liquid nitrogen, using caustic solutions, and surgery are often employed to take care of these precancerous lesions.

Poorly healing wounds are also cause for suspicion. When you have your arms looked at, ask your doctor to do a whole body check, in case some other suspicious spots might be seen.

Dear Dr. Jen,

I have veins that are becoming visible on my thighs. They are bluish and are starting to increase in number.  Are these varicose veins? What can I use to make it disappear?

Karen

Dear Karen,

Varicose veins are unsightly veins on the legs.  They may be bluish, bulging veins.  The bigger ones look like tortuous worms under the skin. They may give you discomfort when you do prolonged standing or walking. Smaller varicosities look like bluish or reddish thin spidery veins.

 Factors to that contribute to formation of these unsightly veins include hormonal intake (pills etc.), family predisposition, work that involves standing constantly, pregnancy, and obesity.

While it seems nice to believe that a miracle cream can make these veins disappear, none actually exists. No cream, no matter how expensive, can make the veins vanish.  Sclerotherapy, surgery or laser (depending on the size of the veins) are the only options you have for varicosities.

Dr. Tan is a diplomate of Philippine Dermatological Society (PDS) and is affiliated with the Perpetual Succour Hospital (PSH). Information on PDS is at www.pds.org.ph. Questions or concerns regarding the skin may be sent by text to 0932 857 7070 or emailed to [email protected]; or coursed thru The Freeman – (032) 2531276, or thru PSH – (032) 2338620 and 2325929. Inquiries will be forwarded to Dr. Tan.