{"id":5329,"date":"2024-05-27T07:25:01","date_gmt":"2024-05-27T07:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/?p=5329"},"modified":"2024-06-03T17:05:56","modified_gmt":"2024-06-03T17:05:56","slug":"hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiding in Plain Sight: NYPD Veteran Uncovers Clues for Detecting Skin Cancer\u00a0","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>A skin cancer diagnosis gives an expert investigator new skills for early detection. #ThisIsSkinCancer<\/h4>\n<p>Retired NYPD detective Ron Licciardi thought he&#8217;d seen it all. The 9\/11 first-responder spent more than 20 years solving all kinds of cases by looking for clues and carefully examining evidence. But when it came to his own skin, he learned a hard lesson about how to identify <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/skin-cancer-information\/\">skin cancer<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/early-detection\/\">w<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/early-detection\/\">a<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/early-detection\/\">rning signs<\/a>\u00a0hiding in plain sight.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Skin Cancer Is Serious: Retired NYPD Detective Battles Chronic Skin Cancer\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/chUCrcVFv9Q?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Four Skin Cancers in Three Years<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>When he retired from the police force, Ron never imagined he would gain expertise in looking for skin cancer clues. But from 2019 to 2023, Ron developed skin cancer five times. His first two were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/skin-cancer-information\/basal-cell-carcinoma\/\">basal cell carcinomas<\/a>\u00a0(BCCs) followed by two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/skin-cancer-information\/squamous-cell-carcinoma\/\">squamous cell carcinomas<\/a> (SCCs) and in 2023, another BCC.<\/p>\n<p>It all started in early 2019, when Ron\u2019s wife pointed out a new spot on his nose, and one on his shoulder that was changing size and color. \u201cShe said to me, \u2018You know, you need to get these checked.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Important Clues: New, Changing, Unusual<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Ron was not concerned. \u201cSkin cancer never crossed my mind,\u201d he explained. \u201cThanks to my wife&#8217;s persistence, I got checked by a dermatologist, who informed me that seeing something new, changing or unusual on your skin are important clues that you can&#8217;t overlook.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A short time after his skin exam, Ron&#8217;s phone rang. \u201cIt was my dermatologist, who told me that both biopsies came back as skin cancers,\u201d he said. \u201cMy heart sank when I heard the \u2018C\u2019 word. I researched online. It was encouraging to learn that basal cell carcinoma is very curable when caught early.\u201d<\/p>\n<table class=\"tg\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"tg-0pky\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5331 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ron_skin_cancer_heic-450x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ron_skin_cancer_heic-450x600.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ron_skin_cancer_heic-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ron_skin_cancer_heic.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/th>\n<th class=\"tg-0pky\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5335 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ron_post_op_heic_bSPEgMF8-1-292x600.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of a man's nose after bcc treatment\" width=\"292\" height=\"600\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ron_post_op_heic_bSPEgMF8-1-292x600.jpg 292w, https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Ron_post_op_heic_bSPEgMF8-1.jpg 495w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 292px) 100vw, 292px\" \/><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td class=\"tg-0pky\"><strong>BCC before surgery<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"tg-0pky\"><strong>BCC after surgery<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>Photos: Ron Licciardi, DutyRon.com<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Ron was treated with\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/treatment-resources\/mohs-surgery\/\">Mohs surgery<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/skin-cancer-information\/basal-cell-carcinoma\/\"><strong>BCC<\/strong><\/a> on his nose and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/skin-cancer-information\/basal-cell-carcinoma\/bcc-treatment-options\/#curettage\">electrosurgery<\/a> to remove the one on his shoulder. \u201cThe Mohs is a precision kind of surgery, and luckily it only took one round to get the entire thing. The cancer started out as small as a freckle and I ended up with a wound larger than a pencil eraser. I\u2019m lucky I did not wait. If it grew any bigger, who knows what the scar would look like!\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><strong>A Lifetime of Sun Exposure<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_5332\" style=\"width: 350px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5332\" class=\"wp-image-5332 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/MicrosoftTeams-image-1-340x240.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of a NYC Police Officer\" width=\"340\" height=\"240\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-5332\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ron&#8217;s hat did not protect his nose from the sun.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Like many people growing up on Long Island in the 1970s, Ron did not use much <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/skin-cancer-prevention\/sun-protection\/sunscreen\/\">sunscreen<\/a>. \u201cI went to the beach and played outdoor sports all summer long without protecting my skin,\u201d he explained. \u201cSunscreen was not widely used, and I never really thought twice about getting sunburned.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In the 1990s, Ron entered the NYPD, got married and started a family. All the while, his sun exposure continued \u2013 working cases, coaching his son\u2019s baseball games and going on tropical vacations. Even though the correlation between sun exposure and skin cancer was more publicly understood, Ron explained that sun protection was \u201cnot top of mind\u201d during this busy time in his life.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>From \u201cLackadaisical\u201d to \u201cLocked In\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>While <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/ask-the-expert-why-are-more-men-dying-of-skin-cancer\/\">women are more vigilant<\/a>\u00a0than men about skin care and safety, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/sun-safe-partners-support-from-spouse-can-help-improve-sun-protection-habits\/\">new research suggests<\/a> that couples can work together improve their sun protection habits. Ron admitted that over the decades, his wife did most of the sunburn prevention work. She brought the sunscreen and reminded him to reapply.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes I would reapply and sometimes I wouldn&#8217;t,\u201d he said. \u201cYou could say I was a little lackadaisical about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Since his diagnosis, Ron changed his ways. \u201cRight off the bat at age 54, I had more than one skin cancer. And there&#8217;s a family history of skin cancer \u2013 my older brother and sister have also been diagnosed with it. So now I\u2019m locked in when it comes to protecting myself,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>SCCs on the Scalp<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Ron knows that a history of two or more skin cancers puts him at a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/more-than-one\/\">muc<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/more-than-one\/\">h higher risk<\/a>\u00a0of developing further skin cancers.\u00a0In October 2021, he noticed something new on his scalp \u2013 a scaly lesion that occasionally bled. He immediately went to see his dermatologist. This time, Ron had\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/skin-cancer-information\/squamous-cell-carcinoma\/\"><strong>squamous cell carcinoma<\/strong><\/a> (SCC). While the majority of these can be successfully treated, if left to grow, SCCs can become invasive, penetrate deeper layers of skin and spread to other parts of the body.<\/p>\n<p>Ron had Mohs surgery, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/treatment-resources\/mohs-surgery\/mohs-the-gold-standard\/\">most effective technique<\/a> for treating SCCs. Mohs is often recommended for SCCs located in cosmetically or functionally important areas, including the scalp. The procedure is done in stages while the patient waits. After removing a layer of tissue, the surgeon examines it under a microscope in an on-site lab. If any cancer cells remain, the surgeon removes another layer from that precise location, sparing as much healthy tissue as possible. This process is repeated until no cancer cells remain.<\/p>\n<p>After two layers were removed, Ron&#8217;s scalp was clear of cancer cells. &#8220;I&#8217;m glad I got it checked out and grateful to have the surgery right away,&#8221; he explained.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_6079\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6079\" class=\"wp-image-6079 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rons-biopsy-600x455.jpg\" alt=\"SCC Before and after Mohs surgery\" width=\"600\" height=\"455\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rons-biopsy-600x455.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rons-biopsy-768x582.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rons-biopsy.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-6079\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">SCC removed in 2021 with Mohs surgery.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>In March, 2022, Ron&#8217;s wife noticed yet another new spot on his scalp near his forehead. Once again, Ron headed to the dermatologist for a biopsy. He was diagnosed with his second scalp SCC and set up his third Mohs surgery. This time around, his surgeon removed just one layer of skin to achieve clean margins. In 2023, he had a BCC removed from his back with excisional surgery.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-5329 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"340\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Scc-on-forehead-340x240.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"squamous cell carcinoma on forehead pointed out by Ron\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-6615\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-6615'>\n\t\t\t\tSCC on the forehead, diagnosed in March 2022.\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"340\" height=\"240\" src=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/post-SCC-stitches-Ron-340x240.jpeg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"stitches after Mohs Surgery on forehead for squamous cell carcinoma\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-6617\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-6617'>\n\t\t\t\tAfter Mohs surgery. Photo: DutyRon.com\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<h3><strong>You Can See it, So You Can Do Something About It\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Having five skin cancers in four years has made a profound impression on Ron. &#8220;Never again will I go outside without a hat. Now I take extreme precautions \u2013 umbrellas, wide-brimmed hats, sun protective clothing, and of course diligent sunscreen use,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>These days, Ron performs <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/early-detection\/self-exams\/\">monthly self exams<\/a> <\/strong>to look for anything new, changing or unusual on his skin. He asks his wife to check the hard-to-see places. \u201cMy doctor educated me about what to look for, especially when checking my scalp, my arm tattoos and other places where skin cancers can hide.\u201d Twice a year, he sees his dermatologist for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/early-detection\/annual-exams\/\"><strong>skin cancer screening<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Now that his investigative skills include skin cancer detection, Ron shares his story and his knowledge with his large YouTube and Instagram following. \u201cHere&#8217;s a PSA for you, and a constant reminder: The sun is not your friend. Skin cancer is serious. It&#8217;s also the most common cancer in the world, but unlike other cancers, you can see it, so you can do something about it. I implore everyone: check your skin and protect it from the sun. Get yourself examined professionally once a year. It could make the difference between life and death.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A retired NYPD detective, who spent his career looking for clues, learned a tough lesson about how to identify skin cancer warning signs that were hiding in plain sight.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":10,"featured_media":5333,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[5498,14,3260,5698,4193,5500,3258,5527,5528,6,5501,12,2841,5499,2901],"class_list":["post-5329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-true-stories","tag-thisisskincancer","tag-basal-cell-carcinoma","tag-bcc","tag-dutyron","tag-early-detection","tag-electrosurgery","tag-mohs-surgery","tag-more-than-one-skin-cancer","tag-nypd","tag-prevention","tag-skin-cancer-story","tag-squamous-cell-carcinoma","tag-sun-protection","tag-tattoos","tag-true-stories"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.3 (Yoast SEO v25.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Hiding in Plain Sight: NYPD Veteran Uncovers Clues for Detecting Skin Cancer\u00a0 - The Skin Cancer Foundation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A retired NYPD detective learned a hard lesson about how to spot skin cancer warning signs hiding in plain sight.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hiding in Plain Sight: NYPD Veteran Uncovers Clues for Detecting Skin Cancer\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A retired NYPD detective learned a hard lesson about how to spot skin cancer warning signs hiding in plain sight.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Skin Cancer Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/skincancerfoundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-05-27T07:25:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-06-03T17:05:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/NYCSCF.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Victoria Kopec\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@skincancerorg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@skincancerorg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Victoria Kopec\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Victoria Kopec\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/person\/88046b1f8356ff57f093f2c8079eac55\"},\"headline\":\"Hiding in Plain Sight: NYPD Veteran Uncovers Clues for Detecting Skin Cancer\u00a0\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-27T07:25:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-03T17:05:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/\"},\"wordCount\":1149,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/NYCSCF.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"#ThisIsSkinCancer\",\"Basal Cell Carcinoma\",\"bcc\",\"dutyron\",\"Early Detection\",\"electrosurgery\",\"mohs surgery\",\"More than one skin cancer\",\"NYPD\",\"Prevention\",\"skin cancer story\",\"Squamous Cell Carcinoma\",\"sun protection\",\"tattoos\",\"true stories\"],\"articleSection\":[\"This Is Skin Cancer\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/\",\"name\":\"Hiding in Plain Sight: NYPD Veteran Uncovers Clues for Detecting Skin Cancer\u00a0 - The Skin Cancer Foundation\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/NYCSCF.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-05-27T07:25:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-06-03T17:05:56+00:00\",\"description\":\"A retired NYPD detective learned a hard lesson about how to spot skin cancer warning signs hiding in plain sight.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/NYCSCF.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/NYCSCF.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1280,\"caption\":\"Manhattan skyline on a sunny day Empire State Building on the right, New York, United States\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Hiding in Plain Sight: NYPD Veteran Uncovers Clues for Detecting Skin Cancer\u00a0\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/\",\"name\":\"The Skin Cancer Foundation\",\"description\":\"Education, prevention, early detection, and treatment of skin cancer\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Skin Cancer Foundation\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/SCF-LOGO.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/SCF-LOGO.png\",\"width\":273,\"height\":291,\"caption\":\"The Skin Cancer Foundation\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/skincancerfoundation\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/skincancerorg\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/skincancerorg\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/the-skin-cancer-foundation\/\",\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/skincancer\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SkinCancerFoundation\",\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Skin_Cancer_Foundation\",\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@skincancerorg\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/person\/88046b1f8356ff57f093f2c8079eac55\",\"name\":\"Victoria Kopec\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/af762078ce196950538028a89992bf19?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/af762078ce196950538028a89992bf19?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Victoria Kopec\"},\"description\":\"Victoria is Senior Director of Digital Strategy, heading up The Skin Cancer Foundation's content strategy for the website, blog and social media. She has decades of experience writing and editing content related to health care, chronic and communicable diseases, global health, cancer and cancer research. Victoria has worked on website launches and digital content creation and strategy for Memorial Sloan-Kettering's Cycle for Survival and Fred's Team fundraising programs, AmeriCares global health and emergency response programs, DKMS bone marrow donor center and the Cardiovascular Research Foundation.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/author\/vkopec\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/author\/vkopec\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Hiding in Plain Sight: NYPD Veteran Uncovers Clues for Detecting Skin Cancer\u00a0 - The Skin Cancer Foundation","description":"A retired NYPD detective learned a hard lesson about how to spot skin cancer warning signs hiding in plain sight.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Hiding in Plain Sight: NYPD Veteran Uncovers Clues for Detecting Skin Cancer\u00a0","og_description":"A retired NYPD detective learned a hard lesson about how to spot skin cancer warning signs hiding in plain sight.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/","og_site_name":"The Skin Cancer Foundation","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/skincancerfoundation","article_published_time":"2024-05-27T07:25:01+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-06-03T17:05:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1280,"url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/NYCSCF.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Victoria Kopec","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@skincancerorg","twitter_site":"@skincancerorg","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Victoria Kopec","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/"},"author":{"name":"Victoria Kopec","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/person\/88046b1f8356ff57f093f2c8079eac55"},"headline":"Hiding in Plain Sight: NYPD Veteran Uncovers Clues for Detecting Skin Cancer\u00a0","datePublished":"2024-05-27T07:25:01+00:00","dateModified":"2024-06-03T17:05:56+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/"},"wordCount":1149,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/NYCSCF.jpg","keywords":["#ThisIsSkinCancer","Basal Cell Carcinoma","bcc","dutyron","Early Detection","electrosurgery","mohs surgery","More than one skin cancer","NYPD","Prevention","skin cancer story","Squamous Cell Carcinoma","sun protection","tattoos","true stories"],"articleSection":["This Is Skin Cancer"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/","url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/","name":"Hiding in Plain Sight: NYPD Veteran Uncovers Clues for Detecting Skin Cancer\u00a0 - The Skin Cancer Foundation","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/NYCSCF.jpg","datePublished":"2024-05-27T07:25:01+00:00","dateModified":"2024-06-03T17:05:56+00:00","description":"A retired NYPD detective learned a hard lesson about how to spot skin cancer warning signs hiding in plain sight.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/NYCSCF.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/NYCSCF.jpg","width":1920,"height":1280,"caption":"Manhattan skyline on a sunny day Empire State Building on the right, New York, United States"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/hiding-in-plain-sight-nypd-veteran-uncovers-clues-for-detecting-skin-cancer\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Hiding in Plain Sight: NYPD Veteran Uncovers Clues for Detecting Skin Cancer\u00a0"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/","name":"The Skin Cancer Foundation","description":"Education, prevention, early detection, and treatment of skin cancer","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#organization","name":"The Skin Cancer Foundation","url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/SCF-LOGO.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/SCF-LOGO.png","width":273,"height":291,"caption":"The Skin Cancer Foundation"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/skincancerfoundation","https:\/\/x.com\/skincancerorg","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/skincancerorg\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/the-skin-cancer-foundation\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/skincancer\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SkinCancerFoundation","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Skin_Cancer_Foundation","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@skincancerorg"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/person\/88046b1f8356ff57f093f2c8079eac55","name":"Victoria Kopec","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/af762078ce196950538028a89992bf19?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/af762078ce196950538028a89992bf19?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Victoria Kopec"},"description":"Victoria is Senior Director of Digital Strategy, heading up The Skin Cancer Foundation's content strategy for the website, blog and social media. She has decades of experience writing and editing content related to health care, chronic and communicable diseases, global health, cancer and cancer research. Victoria has worked on website launches and digital content creation and strategy for Memorial Sloan-Kettering's Cycle for Survival and Fred's Team fundraising programs, AmeriCares global health and emergency response programs, DKMS bone marrow donor center and the Cardiovascular Research Foundation.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/author\/vkopec\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/blog\/author\/vkopec\/"}]}},"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5329"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5329\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skincancer.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}