After long, hard winters, New Yorkers like to be out in the sun. However, whether you’re hiking, biking at Bethpage Bikeway, or outside swimming, you need to be careful not to get too much sun exposure, to protect yourself from skin cancer. It’s important to put on sunscreen, and when you do, remember that your feet need attention too.

The sun’s rays aren’t the only things that can cause skin cancer, though. It can also be caused by exposure to chemicals, inherited traits, viruses, and chronic irritation or inflammation. The best thing you can do is to administer self-examinations of your feet by looking for these key symptoms:

  • A change in color of moles, spots, or growths on your feet.
  • New growths.
  • Scaliness, oozing, or change in appearance of an existing bump.
  • A sore on your foot that doesn’t heal.
  • If you have a mole, the color spreading past the border of the mole onto your skin.
  • Itchiness, tenderness, and pain.

Check your feet over thoroughly, or have a trusted friend or loved one help. You can also use a mirror for hard to see areas.

Of course, it’s best to have your foot examined by a podiatrist like Mark Gasparini, D.P.M., serving the Bethpage community. We want to make sure your feet are healthy and cancer-free, so visit us online, on Facebook, or call (516) 804-9038 to schedule an appointment today. Remember to keep putting that sunscreen on whenever you’re exposed to the sun—and don’t forget your feet!

Comments are closed.