I had the pleasure of attending a 5 Under 40 event hosted by Kline Dermatology where Dr. Mitchell Kline and Dr. Amanda Doyle spoke about the effects of chemotherapy on the body. While I was initially interested in learning about the changes in hair, skin and nails after chemotherapy, the conversation shifted to the correlation between melanoma and breast cancer.

I was shocked to find out about a recent study which found that women who have had breast cancer are almost FOUR TIMES as likely to get melanoma. Breast cancer patients under age 50 had a 46 percent higher risk of melanoma after breast cancer. Those numbers are simply astounded, and not discussed. What’s even more shocking is that women with a BRCA gene mutation have a 2.58 times greater risk of getting melanoma than non-carriers. So survivors, be smart.

Melanoma is something that, unlike breast cancer, is on the surface of your skin. With proper monitoring, you can almost completely avoid its deadly effects. Drs. Kline and Doyle recommend a skin check at least once per year. However, for breast cancer survivors, it is more prudent to have your skin checked every six months.

I’m so grateful to have learned about those statistics. After chemotherapy, I’ve already become much more prudent about staying out of the sun and applying sunscreen every few hours. I had my first mole check this year. At 27, that was long overdue. Now, I’ll start to be more aware of each and every mole on my body, because I never want to have to live through another cancer again.

I wanted to share these statistics with you all so that you can spread the word. Be your own health advocate. “Knowledge is power.”