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             Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer and Assistant Professor of Social Sciences Monique Diderich calls it the “silent killer.” She has studied the disease after her husband was found to have it on his back.
             Diderich will be talking about "Melanoma: The Hidden Dangers of Tanning" at Shawnee State University at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 20 at Clark Memorial Library, Room 207.
             The Women’s Center is sponsoring the program and will be providing a derma scan for testing the skin. The lecture and derma scan is free and open to the public.
             The first sign of melanoma is a change in the size, shape or color of a mole. But, melanoma can also appear on the body as a new mole. It is different for men and women with melanoma on men showing up on the upper body and melanoma on women often showing up on the lower legs.
             “The public is not aware that exposure to tanning beds especially before age 30 increases your chances of developing melanoma at 75 percent,” Diderich said. “You can have melanoma and not know it. That is why it is important to examine your skin to check for any new moles or changes in moles. If a melanoma is detected early, the chances of recovery are very good.”
             According to melanoma.com, each year, more than 50,000 people in the U.S. learn that they have melanoma. The chance of developing melanoma increases as you get older but people of any age can get melanoma. It is the most common cancer in young adults. If a melanoma is not found early, it can grow deeper into the skin and spread to other parts of the body metastasizing.
             The main cause of melanoma is too much exposure to the sun or ultraviolet rays.
             “It is so important to have moles or birthmarks checked especially if they start bleeding or change in any way,” Diderich said. “I would advise people to go see a dermatologist.”