|
Virginia Beach, VA – April 19, 2005 – Diane Norwood could not believe her eyes when she looked at her face in the DermaScan device at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital.
"I gasped," Norwood recalls. "I just turned 30," she says, "and I was kind of shocked that someone my age could have so much skin damage." Norwood, is a diabetes educator at Beach General.
DermaScan is about the size of a computer monitor. Users place a drape over their heads and look at a mirror inside the box where a black light makes sun-damaged skin appear as purple blotches on their faces. The blotches are not necessarily skin cancer, but they represent areas of concern.
"It was a rude awakening," says Norwood, a fair-skinned person who always thought a tan looked healthy. "From now on I’m going to be less concerned about how I look and more concerned with staying healthy for the next 30 years."
That means using sun block and wearing a brimmed hat when she’s in the sun, using makeup with an SPF rating of 15 or higher, and sitting under an umbrella while on the beach.
DermaScan available to public May 4th and 5th at SVBGH
The DermaScan device will be available in the lobby of Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital on May 4th and 5th from 11:00am to 2:00pm. No registration required.
Free skin cancer screenings require advance registration
|