ENGLEWOOD (KDVR) — People come from around the country to work and play in Colorado with outdoor recreation being a big draw for newcomers. According to the American Medical Association, however, Colorado is also at a higher risk for skin cancer.
Dr. Leslie Capin is the founder of Dermatology Associates of Colorado and has been a skin doc in Denver since 1986. She works at Advanced Dermatology Associates of Colorado and starts the conversation with a sobering fact, “Because we are in a higher altitude, especially when we go up to the mountains we are at a higher risk to get a skin cancer.”
Whether you work or play under the potentially harmful rays of the sun, here is the least you should do to minimize the risk of skin cancer.
“You should wear sunscreen, SPF 30 or greater. Wear protective clothing, broad-brimmed hat, sunglasses and long sleeves,” Capin said. The doctor also advises to get a total body skin cancer exam every year.
And it is not just your hands and face that are at risk for melanoma.
“We look in between every single toe, look at nails. Skin cancer can occur between the toes,” Capin said.
Capin says frequent self-exams are very important because the key is early detection.