Checking Your Own Skin for Skin Cancer

 Regular self skin examination helps you get to know your own skin so you can notice changes early. It works alongside — not instead of — professional skin checks with a dermatologist. This guide explains how to examine your skin and what to look for. It is general information only; if you notice anything new, changing or unusual, arrange a professional assessment.

A monthly self-check is a reasonable routine for most people. Getting familiar with your moles and marks makes it easier to spot when something changes. People with a personal or family history of skin cancer, many moles, or significant sun exposure may be advised to have more frequent professional checks.

Use a well-lit room, a full-length mirror and a hand mirror, and check your whole body, including areas that are easy to miss:

• Face, ears, neck and scalp (part your hair or use a comb).
• Front and back of your torso, and under the breasts.
• Both sides of your arms, hands, between the fingers and under the nails.
• Legs, feet, soles, between the toes and toenails.
• Buttocks and genital area.

Ask someone to help with your back and scalp, or use your phone camera to photograph areas you cannot see easily. Keeping photos over time makes changes easier to notice.

The ABCDE guide can help you assess a mole or spot:

• A – Asymmetry: one half does not match the other.
• B – Border: edges are irregular, ragged or blurred.
• C – Colour: more than one colour, or uneven colour.
• D – Diameter: larger than about 6 mm (the size of a pencil eraser), though some are smaller.
• E – Evolving: any change in size, shape, colour or symptoms such as itching or bleeding.

Most of your moles tend to look similar to one another. The "ugly duckling" sign is a spot that stands out as different from the rest — in size, shape or colour. A mole that looks unlike your others is worth having checked, even if it does not tick every ABCDE point.

Also look out for a sore that does not heal, a new or growing lump, a rough or scaly patch, or a spot that bleeds, itches or is tender. Skin cancers can appear in different ways, so anything new or changing is worth assessing.

Arrange a professional skin check if you notice a spot that meets any of the ABCDE features, stands out as an ugly duckling, or is new, changing or not healing. Self-examination is a helpful habit, but it does not replace a professional skin examination.

Sun protection helps reduce your risk over time. Use broad-spectrum SPF 50+ sunscreen, seek shade, and wear protective clothing, a hat and sunglasses when UV levels are high.

This information is general in nature and is not a substitute for individual medical advice or a professional skin examination. If you have any concerns about a spot, please arrange an assessment with Dr Kim.