His skin cancer diagnosis was a wake-up call to be more careful around the Florida sun.
Dr. George Hanak was blindsided when he first was stricken with skin cancer, and he’s not shy about sharing his personal battle with the disease.
“I was shocked when I got the report,” said Hanak, the department chair of neurological sciences at Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus in Wesley Chapel.
The associate professor was a featured speaker during the school’s Skin Cancer Awareness Seminar on May 24.
The seminar was part of a series the state college organized to increase public awareness regarding a variety of resources available to community members.
Over two years ago, a standard histology revealed two types of non-melanoma skin cancer — squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma — had formed on the tip of Hanak’s nose.
From the naked eye, Hanak couldn’t detect the carcinomas.
It wasn’t apparent, either, that the cancerous cells already penetrated through his dermis — the inner layer of the two main layers of cells that make up the skin.
“I didn’t know. It did not look like (skin cancer),” Hanak said.
Luckily, the department chairman visited a dermatologist before the carcinomas spread further.
Now, he has a clean bill of health — because of Mohs micrographic surgery.
The surgery progressively removes and examines thin layers of cancer-containing skin until only cancer-free tissue remains.
Hanak doesn’t take his good health for granted.
Now, he takes added precautions, beginning with copious amounts of sunscreen—even when just running errands.
He encourages others to do the same.
“I put it on my face every day,” Hanak said. “When I’m going out into the car or to the store, cumulatively, over the time of the day I could be outdoors for 30 minutes or more.
“It’s really important,” he said.
Skin cancer is common nationwide.
According to the American Cancer Society, more than 5.4 million skin cancers are diagnosed each year in the United States — more than all other cancers combined. Non-melanoma skin cancer is the most common of all cancer types.
The American Cancer Society reports that most skin cancers are caused by the sun’s ultraviolet light and radiation, which alter the genetic material of skin cells.
The skin is the body’s largest organ, and also one of the most vital.
However, many don’t treat it that way.
“We, for the most part, take our skin for granted,” Hanak said. “We never think about the skin.”
Regions of the body most susceptible to skin cancer are the face, ears, neck, lip, back of hands, legs, and torso.
Those with freckles and fair skin, or who have a family history of skin cancer should be especially cautious.
Folks on antihistamines also should be careful, too, as they can compromise the skin and increase the potential for skin cancer.
Moles are another risk factor, especially ones that irregularly change in shape, size, or color.
“You never mess with a mole,” Hanak said.
“Leave it (the mole) alone, or have it removed if there are changes happening to it. If there’s a hair inside the mole, you do not pluck that hair. You do that and you’re opening up Pandora’s box,” Hanak warned.
Early detection makes all forms of skin cancer more treatable.
It’s why self-exams and regular checkups to a dermatologist are critical.
“I don’t care if you see anything or not — go to the specialist and have them check you — head to toe,” Hanak said.
Unfortunately, there’s no sure way to entirely prevent skin cancer, he said.
But, there are precautions that can help reduce the risk of both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers.
Linda Oakley-Hankins, an associate professor of nursing at PHSC’s West Campus, advised those attending the seminar to follow Cancer.org’s sun exposure catchphrase: “Slip! Slop! Slap! and Wrap!”
The catchphrase is meant to help people remember some of the key steps that can be taken to shield against UVA and UVB ultraviolet (UV) rays.
They can slip on a dark shirt; slop on broad-spectrum sunscreen every two hours; slap on a wide-brimmed hat; and wrap on sunglasses to protect the eyes and skin around them.
Besides skin cancer, overexposure to UV rays can result in sunburns, dark patches, wrinkles, loose skin, premature aging and eye problems.
During the seminar, Oakley-Hankins warned against the use of tanning salons.
She also suggested people — especially Floridians — seek shade between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
“What you do to your skin now,” she said, “will either be a benefit or a non-benefit later on in life.”
Published June 6, 2017
