How to Spot Skin Cancer

If you can spot it, you can stop it!

What to look for

There are three main types of skin cancer:

•  basal cell carcinoma,
•  squamous cell carcinoma,
•  and malignant melanoma, the three main types of skin cancer.

Because each has many different appearances, it is important to know the early warning signs. Look especially for change of any kind. Do not ignore a suspicious spot simply because it does not hurt. Skin cancers may bee painless, but dangerous all the same.

Why self-exams are so important

Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers, afflicting more than 600,000 Americans each year, a number that is rising rapidly. It is also the easiest to cure, if diagnosed and treated early. When allowed to progress, however, skin cancer can result in disfigurement and even death.

Who should do it

You should! And if you have children, begin teaching them how at an early age so they can do it themselves by the time they are teens. Coupled with yearly skin exams by a doctor, self-exams are the best way to ensure that you don't become a statistic in the battle against skin cancer.

When to do it

Performed regularly, self-examination can alert you to changes in your skin and aid in the early detection of skin cancer. It should be done often enough to become a habit, but not so often as to feel like a bother. For most people, an interval of three months is ideal, but ask your doctor if you should do more frequent checks. You may find it helpful to have a doctor do a full-body exam first, to assure you that any existing spots, freckles, or moles are normal or to treat any that may not be. After the first few times, self-examination should take no more than 10 minutes—a small investment in what could be a life-saving procedure.

Look for a new growth or any skin change. If you notice one or more of the warning signs, see your doctor.

The warning signs

•  A skin growth that increases in size and appears pearly, translucent, tan, brown, black, or multicolored.
•  A mole, birthmark, beauty mark, or any brown spot that:
  •  changes in color
  •  increases in size or thickness
  •  changes in texture
  •  is irregular in outline
  •  is bigger than 6mm, the size of a pencil eraser
  •  first appears after age 21
•  A spot or sore that continues to itch, hurt, crust, scab, erode, or bleed
•  An open sore that does not heal within three weeks
  

Step-by-step self-examination

What you'll need: a bright light; a full-length mirror; a hand mirror; two chairs or stools; a blow dryer.

Examine your face, especially the nose, lips, mouth, and ears. Use one or both mirrors to get a clear view. Thoroughly inspect your scalp using a blow-dryer and mirror to expose each section.

Check your hands carefully, including nails. In full-length mirror, examine elbows, arms, underarms.

Focus on neck, chest, torso. Women should lift breasts to view the underside.

With back to the mirror, use hand mirror to inspect back of neck, shoulders, upper arms, back, buttocks, legs.

Check feet including soles, heels, and toe nails. Use hand mirror to examine genitals.

If you spot it...Don't overlook it. Don't delay.

See a physician, preferably one who specializes in diseases of the skin, if you note any change in an existing mole, freckle, or spot or if you find a new one with any of the warning signs of skin cancer.

Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, is especially hard to stop once it has spread (metastasized) to other parts of the body. But it can be treated in its earliest stages.

Protection stops it, too

Sunlight is responsible for over 90% of all skin cancers. You can avoid becoming a statistic if you practice these sun-protection habits:

•  stay indoors or in the shade during the peak sunlight hours between 10:00am and 3:00pm.
•  use sunscreen rated SPF 15 or higher and wear sunglasses, broad-brimmed hats, and protective clothing whenever  outdoors.
•  never deliberately seek a tan, whether from the sun or from artificial sources of ultravoilet light.