High Blood Pressure – Not the Only Silent Killer

Dear Editor:

We are a beach community.

Our entire peninsula is inhabited by people who love living by the beach – breathing fresh air, soaking in the rays, swimming and surfing in our ocean. While we are enjoying the pleasures of nature, we are ignoring the other “Silent Killer” – Skin Cancer!

Did you know that according to the New York State Department of Health, 90% of most skin cancers stem from ultraviolet (UV) rays (radiation) with melanoma being the deadliest type, often preventable by sun safety and proper medical care.

In New York City, more than 4,000 New Yorkers are diagnosed, with melanoma being a top cancer for young adults between the ages of 20-34 years old. The mortality rate is 400 a year. Imagine 400 New Yorkers die each year from melanoma, many of whom did not have medical care.

Without regular visits to a dermatologist, a person cannot be aware of every part of the body where skin cancer may be growing. Only an excellent, caring, committed dermatologist with the use of specialized equipment, can give us the best diagnosis.

In the United States, becoming a dermatologist requires at least 12 years of intensive education and clinical training. This rigorous pathway ensures that they are medical experts in diagnosing and treating more than 3,000 conditions affecting the skin, hair and nails.

• 4 years – bachelor’s degree
• 4 years – medical school
• 1 year – internship
• 3 years – Dermatology residency

For certification and licensing, all dermatologists must pass the three step U. S. Medical Licensing Examination.

It is our responsibility to choose a caregiver with the full knowledge that he/she will be the doctor who will be seeing us, not a nurse or physician’s assistant.

Your dermatologist is trained to give you a “body scan.” During this exam, your skin will be inspected for any moles, dark spots, or irregularities and make note of them. His/her 12 years of training qualify him/her alone to identify and treat more than 3,000 conditions.

We must be our own advocates. We are responsible for our own health. Only if we educate ourselves and search for a dermatologist who meets our requirements and who will take time to talk to use and work with us as partners can we be assured that we are in good hands, and that we have made the right choice.

Location should not be the only consideration in choosing a doctor. Rockaway needs choices. So, expand your search. Ask your primary doctor as well as your friends, neighbors and co-workers for information about their doctors. Do the research. I did and found an excellent doctor in Nassau County. I see him every three months because of past melanomas. I am so glad that I found a doctor who is so thorough and a good match for me. I am grateful for his care during the past two years. He diagnosed a basal cell cancer and a melanoma. Thanks to him the “Silent Killer” did not win with me.

Kathleen Shea