Advancements Part Of Skin Cancer Awareness Month

The weather is heating up and that means more time by the pool and out in the sun!

The sunny days of May, which is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, are servinga good reminder to protect yourself from the sun.

Jerry Van Horn, 63, says he wishes he’d known the danger of skin cancer years ago. He’s now getting another skin cancer removed from his face. Van Horn thinks most of his skin cancers have come from his exposure to the sun when he was young and played a lot of golf.

“I didn’t wear hats, and I let the rays get to me. I was interested more in the girls liking my tan rather than cancer,” Van Horn says.

Now that he’s older, he’s paying the price for the time in the sun. He had a huge skin cancer removed from behind his ear a few years ago. And now, this latest one is on the side of his face.

Dr. Tim Jochen of Countour Dermatology is using a specialized technique on him called Mohs Surgery. Jochen says it’ll help minimize the scar and maximize the cure. Dr. Jochen takes tiny slivers of the cancerous skin off Van Horn’s face, then looks at it under a microscope to make sure its clear of cancer. If not, he’ll remove more until the sliver comes back clear.

Jochen says the area will heal in a few weeks.

Van Horn says he’s happy about that and glad he came in to see Dr. Jochen because it beats the alternative…dying.

For more information on skin cancer, visit www.skincancer.org.