Yesterday I made a quick stop to see my dermatologist. The reason: to have him take a look at a few tiny moles on my back. Granted, I was pretty certain they were nothing to be overly concerned with, but I'm a firm believer in being proactive in my health care, so I thought it was at least having a doctor take a look at them.

As I anticipated, they were thankfully nothing more than common moles. Still, he took some photos of them, measured them, and told me to keep an eye on them over the next six months to a year. If they grow or change color during that time, he said it may warrant taking a second look.

As I left, the doctor shook my hand and gave me a pamphlet on moles. Not exactly the most interesting piece of literature, for sure, but it contained some worthwhile information about how to recognize early warning signs of malignant melanoma in your moles. Based on what I read, dermatologists suggest using the ABCDs of melanoma when examining your moles.

Asymmetry. One half of the mole does not match the other half.

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Did you know a mole doesn't need to be large or raised to be dangerous? How about the fact that just one alcoholic drink a day increases breast cancer risk by 10 percent? Aware of this one: Gaining more than 11 pounds after age 18 ups your risk for all types of cancer? Gain 20 pounds after age 18, ladies, and your risk of breast cancer is 40 percent higher. I wonder if pregnancy weight gain counts since I gained 50 and then 42 pounds and then got breast cancer 18 months later.

Here are four more shockers: (1) Frequent drivers are more likely to get skin cancer on the left sides of their bodies. (2) Too many imaging exams, like mammograms, are harmful to your health. (3) While breast cancer rates have dropped significantly for some populations of women, they haven't budged at all for Asian-Americans and Native Americans. (4) Living with a smoker pops your lung cancer risk up by 23 percent and spikes your breast cancer risk by 68 percent.

Ouch. These numbers numbers and facts sting a bit, don't they? Good thing we have some say in whether or not they come to haunt us. We can check out moles and take them to the dermatologist for annual screenings. We can limit our cocktails, lose weight, and wear sunscreen on our left sides. We can avoid smoking situations and urge those who live with others to take their butts outdoors. Clearly, it's up to us to take protective health action whenever possible. What will you do in light of these seven cancer considerations?

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Here's a habit you might want to incorporate into your workout routine -- checking your feet. Sound a little odd?

Once your workout is complete and you strip off those shoes and socks, make sure you look at every nook and cranny on those stinky pinkies. This practice might just help you identify suspicious moles that may lead to skin cancer.

Melanoma of the foot is the deadliest type of skin cancer because it's rarely caught early. So look at the top, the bottom, and the sides of your feet. Check your toes, your nail beds -- take off that toenail polish, ladies, and really look -- and then take a peek at your legs.

Did you know the most common site of melanoma for women is the lower extremities? Check out this young woman's blog. Miss Melanoma is her name, and she writes all about life with this deadly cancer. She'll tell you how she lost part of her foot to the disease and how she manages her post-cancer. She'll inspire you to do the right thing. I promise.

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It seems that patients seeking an appointment with a dermatologist to ask about a potentially cancerous mole have to wait substantially longer than those seeking Botox for wrinkles. In a study published online on Tuesday by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, the average wait time for someone with a suspicious mole in Boston was a horrendous 55 days longer than someone wanting to smooth out their wrinkles.

Even when patients reported a changing mole and were willing to pay out-of-pocket for a dermatology visit, the median wait time was 18 days longer than for botox in the 12 metropolitan areas that the research was conducted.

While I have no opinion on botox treatments, I do feel that the priority should be placed on the patients with life threatening concerns ... as one of those people who has to track color changes or irregular borders (yes, I was blessed with moles) and who has regular biopsies, I know that waiting is the worst part. And, while waiting times of a few weeks or more for a suspicious mole may not add up to significant progression of skin cancer if it is, indeed, present ... it's the not knowing that people have a hard time dealing with.

We are constantly told that early detection of cancer is key ... something is clearly wrong here.

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People who have 100 or more moles on their body may age more slowly than people with less than 25 moles. That finding comes out of London where scientists linked incidence of moles to telomere length. Telomeres are bundles of DNA in cells. Compared to "the plastic tip on shoelaces," telomeres help to prevent wear and tear of chromosomes. By measuring telomeres, researchers found that those with moles had a biological age 6-7 years younger than their non-moley peers.

The flip side is that a high incidence of moles also increases a person's risk for dangerous melanoma. But even though they don't understand why some people have more moles than others, researchers think that this may mean that certain people have some natural protection against age-related diseases like heart disease and osteoporosis.

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Most of us have some kind of birthmark somewhere (whether it's a tiny freckle or big "strawberry patch") and obviously most birthmarks are totally harmless. If anything, they give us character! But it's good to know the different kinds of skin discolorations because there are a few that aren't so harmless, and can signal a more serious underlying issue.

The most common potentially dangerous "birthmark" would be the mole, which looks like a raised freckle. Usually harmless, they just need to be watched closely for any changes in case they're developing into skin cancer. Other dangerous skin indicators are bluish puffy birthmarks (cavernous hemangiomas) because they can indicate vascular problems, and having several light tan marks called "cafe-au-lait spots" could signify neurofibromatosis -- a genetic tendency to develop skin tumors. And, according the article, that's it! The rest of the them are just there for looks.

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I just went in to a convenient store to grab a newspaper and came across a disturbing conversation. As I got in line to pay for my paper I stood behind a woman with a large triangular white bandage across what I thought was her nose. Apparently I was wrong. She no longer had a nose.

What really got to me was the conversation she had with the clerk, who had about four reddish black sores on his face. Both were dealing with melanoma - skin cancer - and both were joking about who would die sooner. Of course laughter was probably a relief to the stress they were feeling, but it stressed me out.

Folks, Melanoma is not funny at all, in fact it is the most serious form of cancer. It is deadly and the mere thought of having pieces of my face removed frequently to remove cancerous moles......nonetheless removing my nose makes me want to go buy a closet full of sun block and hats. Don't screw around! It's summer, the sun will be blazing and it is dangerous.

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