Darian Lynch, 55, lives in Bayville, N.Y., and owns a hair salon on Long Island’s North Shore. On Long Island, any day can be a beach day—whether it’s the Long Island Sound, Oyster Bay Harbor or the array of sandy Atlantic Ocean beaches. But a visit to the dermatologist in April of 2018 changed the way Lynch saw the sun.Lynch had seen a dermatologist when she was younger but never went regularly. She only decided to return after noticing a small spot that got very dark on her skin.“It was bothering me,” Lynch recalls. “I got it checked out, and they were like, ‘You’ll definitely get a call because this is not good.’ I was shocked.”Despite the warning, Lynch was surprised to learn she had Stage II melanoma on her right upper arm.“I’m thinking, ‘Cancer? Stage II? From melanoma?'” she says.
Lynch was also taken aback—in a more pleasant way—by how her doctors at Northwell Health treated her, including her dermatologist, Dr. Pooja R. Shah, MD.“They were on it,” Lynch tells Parade. “When I was talking to [Dr. Shah], she said, ‘I already called an oncologist. You have an appointment tomorrow.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ So, it was definitely aggressive.”It’s necessary. Melanoma represents only 1% of skin cancers, but it accounts for the most deaths, according to the American Cancer Society. Fortunately, advancements in treatments have lowered death rates over the years. The doctors removed Lynch’s cancer, and then she underwent a graft. Lynch can’t change her past, but she does wish she knew more before and right after her melanoma diagnosis. Now, she’s sharing her story to raise awareness and try to help younger generations.?SIGN UP for tips to stay healthy & fit with the top moves, clean eats, health trends & more delivered right to your inbox twice a week?
‘What I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before I Got My Melanoma Diagnosis’
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Lynch wishes she knew that melanoma can happen to everyone and protection is key, even when you’re “young and invincible.”“All through my teenage years, I went to tanning beds,” Lynch tells Parade. “I thought I was doing the right thing by going tanning before I went away, so I wouldn’t burn. Meanwhile, you’re cooking yourself.”But Lynch can give herself grace now—the messages about “building a base” were prevalent when she was a teen.“I thought I was preventing [skin cancer],” Lynch shares.
Lynch stopped going to tanning beds as she got older, mostly because she “didn’t care as much” anymore. She was also busy with her career and family.“But when you’re younger, you’re dumb, and you don’t really think about the future of that in that sense,” Lynch shares.Having the right information—before and right after her initial diagnosis—could have lowered her odds of getting skin cancer and helped her avoid feeling so stunned and alone when she learned she had melanoma.Related: The #1 Early Sign of Skin Cancer Most People Miss, According to Dermatologists
The Genetic Component
Lynch doesn’t know of any family members who have had melanoma. But while Lynch’s sister hasn’t experienced skin cancer, Lynch’s dermatologist, Dr. Shah, has since explained to her that she has dysplastic nevus syndrome.
“Dysplastic nevi are seen…under the microscope that suggest that the patient has atypical cells from cumulative sun exposure or because of a genetic predisposition,” says Dr. Shah, who is the director of Women’s Skin Health and Wellness for Northwell Health’s Department of Dermatology.
Dr. Shah clarifies that dysplastic nevi generally aren’t precancerous or cancerous. The cells also don’t usually “turn into melanoma,” but they provide information about risk.
“When someone has a history of multiple dysplastic nevi, they have a higher risk of melanoma because of their underlying risk factors,” she explains. “These patients need to be monitored closely and more often than once a year.”
Related: Dermatologists Are Begging People To Stop Making This Common SPF Mistake
Lessons About Skin Cancer, Learned
About four years after her initial diagnosis, Lynch’s doctors found a second melanoma on her right thigh. This time, it was stage 0.
“I’m kind of a little more numb to it now,” Lynch says. “Every time I go and they biopsy something, I don’t get nervous anymore for some reason. I just am like, ‘It is what it is. Just get it out.'”
Plus, Lynch and Shah are more on top of her skin cancer risk after her first diagnosis. Shah checks Lynch every three to six months. That’s common protocol for skin exams.
“I suggest annual exams for anyone who has lifestyle risk factors or a strong family history,” Dr. Shah tells Parade. “But if someone has had a melanoma, usually they’re seen more than once a year. They can vary from three to six months, depending on the stage of their melanoma.”
These days, Lynch doesn’t go to tanning beds. “Spray tan is my tan now,” she says with a slight laugh. She also reapplies sunscreen every 90 minutes—per Dr. Shah’s instructions—and exposes her skin to sun in “small doses.”
She hopes that, by sharing her story, more people feel empowered to take control of their skin health.
“Skin cancer needs more awareness,” Lynch tells Parade. “People may think, ‘It’s just skin cancer,’ but it can spread.”
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Sources:
Key Statistics for Melanoma Skin Cancer. American Cancer Society. Darian Lynch, 55, lives in Bayville, N.Y., owns a hair salon and has survived melanoma twice Dr. Pooja Shah, MD, the director of Women’s Skin Health and Wellness for Northwell Health’s Department of DermatologyHence then, the article about take it from a patient what i wish someone had told me before i got my melanoma diagnosis was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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