Ten years ago, a pair of cheap sunglasses saved my life. I used to be in the habit of parking my sunglasses on top of my head. One pair with a very thin plastic edge nicked a place on my scalp and a tiny bump formed that wouldn't go away. Feeling the bump with my finger, I asked my husband to look at it. He suggested going to a skin doctor and, several months later, I did.

Santa Fe dermatologist Dr. Thomas Holmes took one look at the bump, picked up a scalpel and removed it. But that was only the beginning.

After removing the bump, Holmes sent it for analysis at a laboratory. The I.D. was positive: malignant melanoma.

Holmes says he sees melanomas only five or six times a year. But, on any given day, he sees a number of squamous or basal cell carcinomas — types of skin cancers that are common and curable. Melanomas are more dangerous than other skin cancers since they can metastasize or spread to other parts of the body. Once that occurs, there's no effective treatment and frequently the outcome is death.

But here's the really bad news: According to a New England Journal of Medicine Web site, melanoma has become the fastest-growing category of cancer in recent years, and no one knows why. In fact, incidence rates went from 1 in 600 in 1960 to 1 in 75 in 2000. And although the risk increases with age, melanoma is one of the leading malignancies for people in their late 20s and 30s.

Experiencing two severe sunburns before age 18 increases the threat of melanoma, but lesions do not always develop in an area directly affected by the sun. On men, lesions most often appear on the torso or head. On women, they usually appear on the lower legs. Any exposure to ultra-violet light — from either the sun or a tanning booth — increases the danger.

After I was diagnosed with skin cancer in 1997, Holmes referred me to a local plastic surgeon for additional surgery to make sure every bit of the melanoma had been removed.

The surgeon sent me to the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, Calif., for a procedure, now standard, that involved injecting the area where the melanoma was removed with a dye that would migrate to neighboring lymph nodes. Those lymph nodes would then be removed and checked for any metastasized cells. Fortunately, my health insurance provider agreed to pay for the out-of-state procedure.

Skin cancer cells are softer than healthy skin, which is why my sunglasses caused the little bump to form on the top of my head. When I woke up after the operation at John Wayne, I had basically been scalped. Only a few tufts of hair remained. The lymph nodes along my neck and under my ears had been excised, making it look like I'd had a facelift. In a lab, the lymph nodes were chopped up and examined under a microscope.

Three days later, we received the news: No metastasis. No wandering malignant cells. Thanks to God, and to a lousy pair of sunglasses.

At least 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma every year. About 12 percent of them die. Although cases of melanoma are on the rise, so are survival rates, probably because of better and earlier detection.

Everyone should practice self-examination and ask friends or partners to check hard-to-see places. Anyone with a personal or family history of melanoma is advised to get an annual dermatological exam.

Melanomas often start out as a freckle, mole or dark spot on the skin. Look out for changes in the spot's size, shape and color. The color of the spot might darken or turn tan, red, pink or pearly. An irregular shape is particularly suspicious, such as a round dark spot that grows a small tail. Also, the spot may itch, hurt, look like a scab or bleed.

According to melanoma.com, anyone with a number of freckles or moles should be especially careful. People of Scottish, Irish and English descent — anyone with fair skin, blond or red hair and blue eyes — are at the greatest risk of getting any form of skin cancer including melanoma. No group, including both American Indians and African Americans, is exempt. On darker-skinned people, melanomas frequently appear on the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet or under the fingernails.

After 10 years with no further problems, I still go in for semi-annual check-ups. Sometimes, I get a little overzealous with strangers. If I'm sitting behind someone on a bus and see a dark spot on the person's ear or neck, my first inclination is to lean over and tap the guy or gal on the shoulder and ask, "Have you considered having that checked?"

After all, who knows what quirks of fate may save your life?

Enchantment comes with a price

Given New Mexico’s abundance of sunny days, you might think skin cancer would have an especially strong hold on the state’s outdoorsy residents. But actually, rates of skin cancer in the Land of Enchantment are lower than the national average, says Beth Pinkerton of the state Health Department.
Still, there’s cause for concern: every year approximately 200 New Mexicans are diagnosed with melanoma. In 2006, 54 people died from the disease.
Also, in the U.S. and New Mexico, skin cancer is more common than any other type of cancer.
Severe, blistering sunburns in childhood or adolescence increase the risk of developing skin cancer as an adult. So even if you’ve been wearing your hat and sunscreen in recent years, you need to take stock of your moles, including those that aren’t in view of the sun.
Moles tend to be odd looking in general, so you might want to look at pictures of healthy and unhealthy moles at the Health Department’s Web site for guidance (www.cancernm.org/ccp/skin/screening).
The Web site also provides tips on detection. According to the Cancer Prevention and Control Section, these are the warning signs for melanoma:
Asymmetry: Look for moles that change shape or become asymmetrical (one half is different than the other).
Border: Watch for moles that are uneven, blurred or lumpy around the edges.
Color: It’s normal for moles to be a solid brown color. A mole that turns a different shade of brown or black may be a sign of skin cancer.
Diameter: If a mole is growing, or is larger than the head of a pencil eraser, consult your doctor.

Diana Del Mauro