Chicago Plastic Surgeon

With summer comes trips to the beach and the swimming pool for hours of fun in the sun. Before heading out to that picnic or pool party, there are steps you must take to protect your skin from the harmful effects of the brutal summer sun. The sun's rays, which are called ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B rays (UVA/UVB), damage your skin, even after just a short time in the sun.

Sun damage can lead to skin cancer and other skin problems. Even if your skin doesn't burn in the sun, you can develop skin cancer over time. While we may think having a tan makes us look better and healthier, a tan is the body's desperate attempt to protect itself from the sun's harmful rays.

While some people do tend to burn in the sun more quickly and more often than others, skin cancer can develop even in darker-skinned people who tan easily. Most skin cancers occur on parts of the body that are repeatedly exposed to the sun such as the head, neck, face ears, hands, arms, shoulders, back, and legs (there aren't many body parts NOT affected by sun exposure!).

Here are some factors that put you at a higher risk of developing skin cancer:

• Having had serious sunburns


• Having fair skin and red or blonde hair


• Having many moles, freckles or birthmarks


• Having family members with skin cancer


• Tanning in a tanning bed or using a sun lamp


• Being in the sun a lot as a child or young adult

The most common indicator of skin cancer is the change in a mole; a normal mole is solid tan, brown, dark brown or flesh-colored with well-defined edges. A normal mole is usually smaller than ¼ inch in diameter and has a round or oval shape. If you think a mole is abnormal-looking, follow the "ABCDE" rule:

• A for asymmetry. A mole, that if divided in half, doesn't look the same on both sides is suspicious.


• B for border. A mole is suspicious if it has blurry or jagged edges.


• C for color. Changes in color of your mole such as darkening, loss of color, or the appearance of multiple colors are suspicious.


• D for diameter. Any mole larger than ¼ inch in diameter may need to be examined


• E for elevation. A raised mole or a mole with an uneven surface is suspicious.

If you have been a sun worshipper over the years and are now worried that you are a skin cancer risk or to learn more about skin care and options available to improve damaged skin in the Chicago area, please call or email the office of Cosmetic Surgeon Otto J. Placik, M.D.