Your Skin: Could that little spot be a serious problem?

Skin cancer is diagnosed in more than one million new people this year.  Melanoma the most serious type of skin cancer will kill nearly 8,420 people this year.  Fortunately most skin cancers, including melanoma, can be cured if detected early.

Patients always wonder what are they supposed to be looking for when checking moles or other skin lesions.  Essentially look for any change in a mole or the appearance of any new moles and especially any moles that appear after age 30 should be watched carefully and shown to your doctor.

The "ABCDE" Rule

The "ABCDE" rule can help you look for signs of skin cancer.  When looking at moles on your skin, look for the following: Asymmetry-when both sides of a mole don't look the same, Border-when the edges of a mole are blurry or jagged, Color- if it's darker than before, the color spreads or goes away or more than one color appears (blue, red, white, pink, purple, or gray), Diameter- when a mole is larger than a quarter of an inch in diameter (about the size of a pencil eraser), Elevation-when a mole is raised above the skin and has a rough surface.  Also look for any moles that bleed, grow fast, scale or get crusted, won't heal, itch or places on your skin that feel rough like sandpaper.

An Ounce of Prevention...

What can you do to prevent skin cancers?  1. Avoid the sun.  Sunlight damages your skin.  The strongest sunlight is in the middle of the day, between 10 am and 4 pm.  2. Put on sunscreen.  Use a sunscreen or sun block with a sun protection factor (SPF) or 15 or more.  Use a lot of sunscreen even on mostly cloudy days when you are going to be out.  Put your sunscreen on 30 minutes before you go into the sun.  Include ears and bald spots and repeat every hour or so if you're sweating or swimming.   3. Wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.  4.  Don't try to get a tan.  Tanning booths do damage your skin.  Sunburns and suntans are signs that your skin has been damaged.

Be sure to check your skin regularly for any changes and have your physician check any moles that are suspicious. 

If you would like a physician's assessment of your skin, click HERE to make an appointment for a skin cancer screening today.