Getting past modesty may halt melanomas

CHICAGO, May 27 (UPI) -- Modesty can hamper people from checking their body for skin cancer, a U.S. researcher says.

Dr. June Robinson of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago says a total body exam is advisable to check for new or recurring melanomas -- the most deadly form of skin cancer.

"Deaths from melanoma could be lowered by 60 percent if the general public performed monthly skin self-examinations," Robinson says in a statement. She advises to check monthly for mole changes in shape, border irregularity, color, diameter of 6 or more millimeters and evolution.

"There's a fear of lying there naked and vulnerable in not the most flattering light," Robinson says. "A couple that is in sync is going to take this new experience and support and reassure each other and get over the modesty issues."

The study of 130 melanoma survivors were taught skin self-exams either alone or with their partners. The study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, said couples with close bonds were about three times more likely to perform the skin exams than those who didn't have strong bonds.