WEST CONVINA, Calif. — West Covina resident Shalone Javier has skin covered by tattoos.
Yet a few years ago, there was a circular patch on her leg that she had never seen.
“I noticed a spot had appeared on the outer thigh of my left leg, and it was tiny like a pinhole flesh with the skin,” Javier said. “Within two weeks, it had started to grow.”
Javier went to the doctor and was told it was nothing. Two years went by, and it grew bigger and turned black. She was diagnosed with Stage IIIC Melanoma.
Javier is not sure if the cause was genetic, as she has paternal grandparents who had a different type of Melanoma. The cause could also be ultraviolet rays from the sun.
With summer weather upon us, doctors are urging Southern Californians to wear sunscreen and take protective measures, as incidents of skin cancer are on the rise.
“The main cause of skin cancer is ultraviolet light,” said Dr. Farah Abdulla, a dermatologist at City of Hope in Duarte. “We can definitely do a better job of protecting ourselves.”
Abdulla recommends wearing sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher and reducing sun exposure as one of many ways to protect your skin from the sun.
"That means wearing sunscreen, wearing hats, sun-protective clothing, moving our regular outdoor activities like running, jogging or swimming to the early morning or late evening hours and trying to avoid the main hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m."
Javier is often concerned about her five boys. Three of them are in the military and spend a lot of time outside.
“Being that they are out in the sun all the time, it worries me because I don’t want them to go through what I’ve been through,” Javier said.
She continues to get treated and is hopeful she has closed the door on the worst of it all. Javier encourages anyone to regularly check their skin and talk to a doctor if anything unusual pops up.
Abdulla recommends everyone wear sunscreen regardless of skin tone, as skin cancer tends to be more aggressive when found in darker skin patients.