MCG Health System dermatologists will conduct free skin cancer screenings on Saturday, November 20 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the National Science Center’s Fort Discovery, One 7th Street, Augusta. Free educational information about skin cancer will be available.

One precursor of skin cancer is actinic keratosis. AK appears as rough, red, scaly patches, crusts or sores on the top layer of the skin. Left untreated, AK may progress to squamous cell carcinoma, the second leading cause of skin cancer deaths in the United States. Because AK takes years to develop, the condition usually first appears in older people-although cases have been reported in people in their 20s and 30s.

The event is made possible by an educational grant from 3M Pharmaceuticals. 3M Pharmaceuticals is partnering with dermatology residency programs nationwide to heighten public awareness of skin cancer.

MCG Health System is composed of three separate organizations -- MCG Health, Inc. and the clinical services offered by the faculty employees of the Medical College of Georgia and the members of the Physicians Practice Group. The physicians of MCG Health System are community physicians, faculty employees of the Medical College of Georgia, and employees of the Physicians Practice Group, not employees of MCG Health Inc. MCG Health, Inc. is a not-for-profit corporation operating the MCG Medical Center, MCG Children’s Medical Center, the MCG Sports Medicine Center, MCG Ambulatory Care Center, the Georgia Radiation Therapy Center and related clinical facilities and services. MCG Health, Inc. was formed to support the research and education mission of the Medical College of Georgia and to build the economic growth of the CSRA, the state of Georgia and the Southeast by providing an environment for faculty employees of the Medical College of Georgia and the Physicians Practice Group and community physicians to deliver the highest level of primary and specialty health care. For more information, please visit mcghealth.org.