Legacy Reserve at Fairview Park
Newsletter

Skin cancer
A basic skin cancer screening is as easy as a dermatologist or other health care provider inspecting your skin for suspicious spots and moles. But the benefit can be significant — you can detect melanoma (a type of skin cancer that kills more than 10,000 people a year) while it is in its early, most curable stage, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation (SCF).

The SCF encourages all adults to see a dermatologist once a year for a full-body, professional skin check. If you’re at an increased risk of skin cancer because you have fair skin, a history of tanning or family members who have had melanoma, ask your provider if you should be screened more often.

Blood pressure
Almost half of adults have high blood pressure, or hypertension, reports the American Heart Association (AHA). Yet many don’t realize that their blood pressure is elevated. That’s why it’s known as “the silent killer.” In fact, it’s the primary cause of death for nearly 500,000 Americans per year, according to CDC data.

The date on your birth certificate is its own risk factor for high blood pressure, notes the AHA. As you age, your blood vessels gradually lose some of their elasticity. That alone can contribute to increased blood pressure and raise your risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Cholesterol levels
Like blood pressure, your cholesterol numbers are an important measure of your risk of heart disease, according to the AHA. You’ll get your blood drawn at your doctor’s office or a lab and find out your total cholesterol numbers, as well as your HDL (“good”) and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol numbers.

Armed with this information, you can talk to your doctor about lifestyle choices that affect your cholesterol, including diet and exercise, as well as medications to get those numbers in the right place. High cholesterol has no symptoms, so a screening is the only way to know where you stand.

Colon cancer
Colon cancer is a very preventable, treatable disease, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). If you’re in good health and are younger than 76, you’re advised to have regular screenings, which can help your doctor catch and remove polyps before they progress to cancer.

Screenings for colon cancer come in several forms, including stool tests and visual exams, such as colonoscopies. Talk to your provider about your specific situation and make a plan for colon cancer screenings.