(NEW ORLEANS) — To help reduce the incidence of skin cancer in Louisiana, local skin surgeon and dermatologist Dr. Keith LeBlanc Jr. has prioritized several major announcements made this month from organizations like the American Academy of Dermatology and The Skin Cancer Foundation.

Dr. Keith LeBlanc Jr., founder of Metairie based The Skin Surgery Centre, has condensed six of the top cosmetic and skin related announcements for this month and is available for follow up questions and interviews in order that this news reach as many people as possible.

More than two million Americans are diagnosed every year with skin cancer, with 1-in-5 adults diagnosed during their lifetime. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States and accounts for approximately half of the nation’s cancers. To prevent its spread, good sun protection habits, regular visits to the general dermatologist and attention to skin-related medical developments are recommended:

• Fewer High School Girls Using Sunscreen – The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System found that sunscreen use dropped from 67.7% in 2001 to 56.1% in 2011 among high-school students with more females than males admitting to not using sunscreen.
  
  

• Men’s Head and Neck at Greatest Risk for Aggressive Melanoma  – A study in the journal JAMA Dermatology found that the deadliest and most aggressive melanomas are most often found on the neck and head of older men with long histories of significant sun exposure. Researchers analyzed the cell division rates of melanomas in more than 1,400 participants.
  
  

• Rates Are Rising for Nickel-related Dermatitis – Up to 20% of people are allergic to nickel, according to the CDC, and dermatologists are concerned about the use of nickel in decorative and handheld devices. Fitbit and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts are among the companies that have recalled products after consumers complained about contact dermatitis
  

• House Approves Sunscreen Innovation Act – The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that would streamline the approval process for over-the-counter sunscreen products. The bill (H.R. 4250), called the Sunscreen Innovation Act, would also establish a framework for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review and approve over-the-counter sunscreens that have new active ingredients, and sets time frame requirements for them to be reviewed. The FDA hasn’t approved a new ingredient for sunscreen in 15 years.

• Itching Could Signal Skin Cancer – A study by the department of dermatology at the Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia examined the correlation between pain and itch and histologic features of skin cancers in patients. The study involved 268 patients at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, who had 339 laboratory-confirmed skin cancer lesions from July 2010 to March 2011.The most significant findings of this study found that nearly 40 percent of skin cancer lesions were accompanied by itching, and nearly 30 percent involved pain. Nonmelanoma skin cancers — specifically, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma — were more likely than melanoma to involve itch or pain. Pain was more common in squamous cell carcinoma.