Stamford Mayor To Undergo Melanoma Surgery In NYC

STAMFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork) -- The Mayor of Stamford is to undergo surgery to remove a melanoma growth on his face on Tuesday.

Mayor David Martin will spend the day at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital in New York City, where doctors will remove a cancerous mole from his face, WCBS 880's Fran Schneidau reported.

Martin says the growth developed when he was a teen working as a lifeguard who spent long hours on the beach with no sunscreen. The mayor had it checked out after he noticed it was growing larger and darker.  

"When they did they biopsy they could tell there's sun damage here, all the way back to when I was a kid," Martin said. "Now what do you do? You take care of yourself."

Martin says it's a bump in the road, but he stresses it's a perfect example of what can happen when you don't take precautions outdoors.

"It's been quite a shock to me, but the message for everybody else -- if you see something unusual on your skin, if it's a little bit different or a totally different color or a little bit not symmetrical -- take the time to go to your dermatologist."

Martin says he expects to be out of the office for a couple of days a he recovers, and says his prognosis will not interfere with his mayoral duties.