Park Rd. Office
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10502 Park Rd.,Suite 100
Charlotte, NC 28210
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330 Billingsley Rd.,Ste. 100
Charlotte, NC 28211
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Skin cancer treatment and family history risks

Skin cancer treatment, skin cancer, and understanding why your family history matters

skin cancer treatmentSkin cancer treatment is available to those who have recently been diagnosed with skin cancer. If you have a family history of melanoma, however, your chances for developing skin cancer yourself increase drastically. Skin cancer treatment doctors will ask you about melanoma being in your family for this exact reason: to understand how at risk you are for developing the disease. Going to a dermatologist regularly and receiving annual skin cancer screenings is one way to fight against the most common cancer, and knowing your family history is another important tool.

History has a habit of repeating

Knowing if you have a history of the melanoma in your family is very important. One out of every ten people who have melanoma has at least one person in their family who has had the disease. However, having a history of melanoma in your family isn’t the only disease that can increase your chances of developing skin cancer. Other cancers may be genetically linked to melanoma, which is why skin cancer treatment doctors will ask you for a full history of any cancer in your family.

Melanoma risk depends on the family member

You may think that it doesn’t matter what relative has had melanoma in your family and that it simply being present puts you at risk. However, this is not true. If you have had a sibling or a parent with the disease, this drastically increases your chance of developing skin cancer compared to a distant relative. In fact, if you have a first-degree relative who has had the disease in the past, you increase your chance of developing skin cancer by 50%. Therefore, knowing if a parent or sibling has had melanoma, or skin cancer, in the past is one of the best ways of preventing having to undergo skin cancer treatment.

What to do if you have a family history

Say you’ve done your research and you’ve discovered that your family has a history of melanoma, or skin cancer, in it. What do you do now? All people need to protect themselves by using sunscreen and getting annual skin cancer screenings, but those with a family history of the disease need to be extra vigilant. Applying sunscreen every day and avoiding long periods of sun exposure is extra important to those who have a family history of skin cancer.

Metrolina Dermatology – your skin cancer treatment specialist

Skin cancer treatment at Metrolina dermatology is designed to give patients the most safe and effective care possible. Dr. Sasha Haberle of Metrolina dermatology helps the people of Charlotte, NC with skin cancer screenings and dermatological treatments. A board certified dermatologist and Mohs surgeon, Dr. Haberle can help you if you have a family history of skin cancer.  If you live near the Charlotte, NC area and wish to meet with a dermatologist, call our office to book an appointment today.

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