In today’s world, tattoos are completely acceptable for the most part. Twenty years ago, this wasn’t the case. Men in offices wore long-sleeves shirts to cover their forearm tattoos, and women with tattoos on their ankles or feet were unable to wear sandals.
But here we are in 2017, and it seems like a majority of people have tattoos, and no one seems to mind. But before you get your next one — have you ever considered that those tattoos might be hiding, or disguising, some potential health hazards?
TATTOOS CAN COVER THOSE CRUCIAL EARLY SIGNS OF SKIN CANCER
A good number of tattoo artists and shops have been shown to refuse to cover skin with rashes, lesions or spots. Some artists won’t tattoo over moles, and some will. Many even suggest their clients visit a dermatologist when moles look suspicious.
But what happens over time? You may get a tattoo over perfectly clear skin when you’re twenty years of age — but what about that skin when you’re fifty? We know that tattoos do not cause skin cancer, but it’s possible for them to disguise potential hazards. It is well-known that your best chance of combatting skin cancer, especially Melanoma, is early detection and treatment.
SIGNS OF SKIN CANCER:
- An existing mole changes its shape, size or colour
- The border or outline of your mole is blurry or irregular
- Your mole is several different colours or shades
- Your mole is over 6 mm’s in diameter
- Your mole has reoccurring bleeding or changing to an open sore — it never seems to heal
- Patches of persistently itchy and sore skin develop, and will not go away
- A nodule, bump or wart-like growth appears on the skin and remains despite efforts to heal or remove it
It’s recommended to have your skin checked regularly by your local dermatologist, and there are other precautions you can take, such as mole mapping, to closely monitor the changes of your skin over time. If you’re at a higher-risk than the average person, it becomes even more important to pay attention to possible changes.
Visit Arsenault Dermatology offices in Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch areas
If you have any questions about your own skin, our expert dermatologists would be happy to meet with you at your convenience. You can book your consultation at any of our 3 Florida locations — we’re in both North and South Lakewood Ranch, and West Bradenton as well.
